Are Tasers Effective Tools?

A police officer's use of his department-issued Taser on a mall shopper this week has sparked conversation about use of the weapon.

Nashua, NH police said Wednesday that their use of a Taser in arresting a Newton woman at the Pheasant Lane Mall was warranted under the "force continuum," which allows for incremental use of force during an arrest.

Police say the woman was trespassing in an Apple Store and when she was asked to leave, she refused and resisted police. Video shows the woman being subdued with the Taser outside of the store.

The Taser "pro/con" debate often surfaces when footage of Taser incidents becomes widely available, or if someone is seriously injured from them.

Advocates of officers carrying Tasers argue, among other things, that they are a good deterrent to crime and can provide a better and safer alternative to guns and batons. Opposing views include the perception that the weapon is inhumane in that it provokes extreme pain.

What do you think? Are you comfortable with police officers carrying and using Tasers? On which site of the pro/con debate do you fall?