The maker of Taser stun guns is advising police officers to avoid shooting suspects in the chest with the 50,000-volt weapon, saying that it could pose an extremely low risk of an “adverse cardiac event.”

The advisory, issued in an Oct. 12 training bulletin, is the first time that Taser International has suggested there is any risk of a cardiac arrest related to the discharge of its stun gun.

But Taser officials said Tuesday that the bulletin does not state that Tasers can cause cardiac arrest. They said the advisory means only that law-enforcement agencies can avoid controversy over the subject if their officers aim at areas other than the chest.

The recommendation could raise questions about whether police officers will find it more difficult to accurately direct the probes emitted by a Taser gun at a recommended body area in order to subdue a suspect. Taser officials say the change won't hinder officers' ability to use Tasers.

In a memo accompanying the bulletin, Taser officials point out that officers can still shoot the guns at a suspect's chest, if needed.

Police departments across the United States and in Canada and Australia reacted immediately to the bulletin, with some ordering officers to follow Taser's instructions and begin aiming at the abdomen, legs or back of a suspect.

Valley reaction

Law enforcement officials in the Coachella Valley were unaware Wednesday of the revised training recommendation, but said it could lead to changes in departmental policy.

“If we got that information from Taser, we'd probably have a concern about it,” said Sgt. Mitch Spike, spokesman and head of training for the Palm Springs police.

He said current policy calls for officers to aim at the chest area.

Ben Guitron, spokesman for the Indio police department, said all Indio officers receive regular training for Tasers. He did not immediately know if the bulletin would prompt change.

“Sometimes when a bulletin (like that) comes out, we'll update that policy immediately,” he said.

Two incidents

Two high-profile cases of Taser use hit the Coachella Valley this year.

Desert Hot Springs police shot Travis Jonsrud, 18, twice in February with a Taser after officers say he attacked them. Jonsrud was eventually shot in the head, chest and leg, but survived and is due in court next month.

A police officer from Banning also shot a Taser at a naked man at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in April. Johnathan Fredrick Felch, then 23, was confronted by Banning and Indio police. One of the officers deployed a Taser and the man dropped to the ground. They Tasered him again before arresting him.

‘Not risk-free'

Critics, including civil-rights lawyers and human-rights advocates, called the training bulletin an admission by Taser that its guns could cause cardiac arrest. They called it a stunning reversal for the company, which for years has maintained that the gun was incapable of inducing a cardiac arrest.

Scottsdale-based Taser insisted that the revision admitted no risk of cardiac arrest and served only as risk-management advice for law enforcement.

In the past, Taser has cautioned that use of its stun gun involves risk inherent in police-suspect conflicts, including the risk that suspects fall after being struck by a Taser.

“Taser has long stood by the fact that our technology is not risk-free and is often used during violent and dangerous confrontations,” Taser Vice President Steve Tuttle said in an e-mail.

“We have not stated that the Taser causes (cardiac) events in this bulletin, only that the refined target zones avoid any potential controversy on this topic.”

Aim for back, thigh

Taser's training bulletin states that “the risk of an adverse cardiac event related to a Taser discharge is deemed to be extremely low.” However, the bulletin says, it is impossible to predict human reactions when a combination of drug use or underlying cardiac or other medical conditions are involved.

The bulletin recommends that when aiming at the front of a suspect, the best target for officers is the major muscles of the pelvic area or thigh region. “Back shots remain the preferred area when practical,” it reads.

The Taser guns are used by more than 12,000 police agencies across the country, including every major law enforcement agency in the valley. Many authorities credit the weapon with preventing deaths and injuries to officers and suspects.

Advocacy groups such as Amnesty International allege that Taser guns are often used by police as a compliance tool on unarmed individuals who pose no deadly threat, who are drunk or on drugs and simply quarrel with officers.

Mark Silverstein, legal director of the Colorado American Civil Liberties Union, who has tracked Taser issues for years, said the bulletin means that police departments should now be asking questions about liability and reconsider how the stun gun is used.

The Arizona Republic contributed to this story.