Don't Tase My Heart Bro

So says the manufacturer:

A company that makes Tasers has issued new guidelines to police who use their product.

Taser International maintains its devices are safe but is telling police to avoid aiming the weapon at a suspect's chest.

On Wednesday those new rules were passed onto Calgary police.

"We have released a new directive, relative to Taser targeting, to our members and this follows a training bulletin that Taser International released," says SSgt. Chris Butler from the Calgary Police Service.

The bulletin, which is posted on Taser International's website, includes a diagram showing the new target areas on a suspect's body.

The bulletin instructs police: "when possible, avoiding chest shots with ECDS avoids the controversy about whether ECD's do, or do not, affect the human heart."

(h/t Truth Not Tasers via Excited-delirium)

Given Taser International's diagram (the one above), let's hope that the cops using tasers are good shots.

Make no mistake, this is enormous news. So much for tasers being "safer than Tylenol". Imagine having been a fly on the wall in the room when Taser International's lawyers and executives discussed this one!