The New York Times

By Katie Rogers

October 13, 2015

Excerpts from article

Officials in a small Texas town are questioning a decision by the police to use a Taser on a member of the City Council before charging him with resisting arrest.

The City Council in Prairie View, Tex.,will hold a special session on Thursday, asking for an update from the police about why Jonathan L. Miller, a 26-year-old councilman, was Tasered last Thursday after he approached officers who had detained three of Mr. Miller’s friends outside of his home.

Tasers are frequently used by police officers to disarm their targets, but activists worry about the weapon’s prevalence. Taser International, the manufacturer of the electrical weapons, said in May that more than 18,000 law enforcement agencies had purchased the devices, which are used about 900 times a day.