Conducted Energy Devices: Development of Standards for Consistency and Guidance
Publication Date: 2006
Abstract: The Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) invested considerable time and resources examining the impact that CEDs have had on law enforcement agencies and communities across the country. While the guidelines and glossary in this document are not meant to represent the final and definitive perspectives on conducted energy devices (CED), they do provide needed clarification and information that can help guide police executives in developing CED policy. The glossary and guidelines in this report address policy issues that include critical topics such as what resistance levels delineate when CED activation is permissible; the number and duration of CED cycles that can be applied to a person; CED use against at-risk populations, how police should respond to a suspect armed with a CED; tactical considerations about when a CED can be activated; and numerous other concerns. PERF developed the glossary of terms and guidelines for consideration in the hope that they will be useful in providing the kind of information that law enforcement leaders and policymakers need to better protect the public and the safety of their officers.