Should Police Officers tase mentally challenged people?

To Taze someone is more humane then to shoot them or beat them down with a night stick.

Police should be able to use their tasers in any situation where they face a legitimate threat from someone who could harm them physically if the taser is not used.

This can include someone with a mental illness, if that person poses a threat. Simply being mentally ill doesn't give you the right to attack the police (which is the only time a taser should be used), and the police should be able to use reasonable force to stop anyone, mentally ill or otherwise.

If someone is acting violently and poses a threat to the police, and don't respond to orders to stop, then a taser, if used appropriately, would be a legitimate response. The main issue with tasers is when they are used inappropriately, which is not the same as an issue with using a taser itself.

The other factor to consider is that in at least some cases where tasers are used, the police would likely have used firearms instead had the taser not been available. The taser is the better choice (the standards I specified above for taser use should restrict their use to situations where the police would otherwise have used a firearm).

If the police officer does not know if the person is mentally challenged and does it because he feels threaten he will but if he knows the person is mentally challenged no. Unless the mentally challenged is causing so much harm that he has no other choice.

A psychologist or psychiatrist would require an interview of up to 24 hours to determine if a person had mental problems, where a cop has seconds to make a decision. Your argument might hold water if mentally challenged wore large international orange signs that they were mentally ill If a person threatens me, I don't care what his mental problems are, I will protect myself.

Police officers should taze or use any tools they have to subdue a combative and non-compliant person for safety reasons.

If they give a cop a problem, pepper spray them first, then tase them.

you have got to understand that at lest 75% of the people locked up have mental issues