Public Safety committee  I hadn't realized that wasn't true in Calgary, and if it's happening in Edmonton, a proud side of me might like to claim a wee bit of credit for that because I've spoken to them continuously saying that this is a medical emergency. At the end of the day, what I've basically taugh

Public Safety committee  I don't think so, although it's interesting that when you look at our four deaths, one was in Red Deer, the other three were in Edmonton, and they haven't had one in Calgary. Whether that has any bearing on it I honestly don't know.

Public Safety committee  In one of the Alberta cases in which a taser was used, which we believe was a death due to excited delirium, he received three five-second shocks at the scene and was then transported in an ambulance to an emergency room. They then had to transfer him from the ambulance stretcher

Public Safety committee  Yes, both of them did. That person in prison died, and the person in the Alberta case accounted for one of the deaths that we have had. But interestingly enough, the person in the Alberta case died after the administration of a chemical restraint—drugs given by doctors--so you ha

Public Safety committee  I can't speak for all coroners and medical examiners, but it is our job, as far as I'm concerned. I'm sure Andrew would agree that if we think this is the cause of death, it is our job to put it there. I'm fortunate enough to work in Alberta justice, which is full of lawyers who

Public Safety committee  I honestly don't know.

Public Safety committee  Or they're elected.

Public Safety committee  Yes, and the reason is that if I were in a state of excited delirium, I would rather a police officer pulled out a taser than a gun. It's that simple.

Public Safety committee  Excited delirium is one circumstance where the pepper spray can almost make it worse.

Public Safety committee  You should also realize that police do report cases of excited delirium where the taser itself does not have that much effect--that they can discern.

Public Safety committee  I would agree.

Public Safety committee  After death, those levels are meaningless.

Public Safety committee  What you have to understand is that when we talk about adrenalin and potassium, we're talking about what we refer to as a mechanism of death, not the actual cause of death. Just for your information, the cause of death is defined as the disease or injury that initiates a downhill

Public Safety committee  No.

Public Safety committee  Actually, the condition or syndrome, or whatever you want to call it, was first described by psychiatrists in the 1800s. The terms they used are slightly different--acute exhaustive mania, lethal catatonia, and some other terms--but psychiatrists were the first ones to describe i