Dr. Zian Tseng, an assistant professor in medicine at the University of California at San Francisco recently gave three tips to local law enforcement agencies regarding methods of reducing taser related deaths. Stressing that police officers should be made of aware of fatal consequences of using tasers, Tseng said that the high-voltage weapon has “almost zero” effect on the heart if it is not fired on a person’s chest area.

“The vector over the heart is very important,” he said. “So one practical recommendation would be is if it’s possible to avoid tasering the chest.”

Tseng said that it has been shown that the more times a police officer pulls the trigger of a taser, the longer that electrical pulses course through the recipient’s body. This increases the risk of the pulses “capturing the heart and affecting the heart rhythm”, he said.

Therefore, his second recommendation is that police officers should ease up on the trigger.

“If you knew that the taser could potentially kill, obviously you wouldn’t pull it out as quickly as if you thought it was completely safe,” said Tseng in a recent media interview.

Tseng’s third recommendation is for police squads carrying tasers to be equipped with automated external defibrillators that can be used to revive a person who has been shocked with the weapon and suffered a cardiac arrest.

“These are very easy to obtain, they’re relatively inexpensive, and, in my opinion, if a police agency is using the taser, they should have the defibrillator available in case a cardiac arrest happens,” Tseng said.

To law enforcement agents everywhere: practice safe tasering tactics in order to reduce the amount of damage to an attacker while still delivering the protection you need in self-defense.

If you’ve ever walked alone, you know feelings of vulnerability can creep up on you very fast, sometimes making you too nervous to turn a corner. Don’t get me wrong, these feelings are usually exaggerated; however, this doesn’t mean you should walk around unprotected. The problem is, most people learn this lesson only after they’ve been assaulted or robbed.

To prevent you from becoming a victim, self-defense items can be your first and, in many cases, only line of defense against an unexpected attacker. If the attacker is unaware that you have a weapon, you have a better chance to get away safely. This is the edge you could use to overcome a dangerous situation.

• Stun Guns/Tasers – These are very effective self-defense weapons that can easily be concealed in a purse or pocket. But if you really want to catch an attacker by surprise, choose a stun gun disguised as a Cell Phone. An attacker will assume you are unaware of their presence giving you the opportunity to catch them off guard.

• Pepper Spray/Mace – These canisters are very easy to conceal in a purse or on a Keychain. But if you need something more discreet, pepper sprays disguised as something innocent, like Lipstick, a Pen, or a Ring, are also available. These will leave your attacker rolling on the ground in pain, not knowing what hit them.

The secret to being safe isn’t always to put up a strong front. If you’re aware of your surroundings and prepared, a potential attacker will be unaware that they are about to receive a very painful surprise.