Cops receive report of a young man carrying a samurai sword...

[SkullKing]

A taser IS a weapon, maybe not lethal, but a weapon none the less.

[wolfie]

A taser IS a weapon, maybe not acknowledged as lethal by the manufacturer and users, but a weapon none the less.

Fixed that for you. A taser IS a lethal weapon - as shown by an incident at Vancouver International Airport when someone who only spoke Polish had trouble communicating.

Anyone who's read the "Hammer's Slammers" series by David Drake will understand why "cop" is a slang term for police officer.

[crashhelmet]

Tasers are classified as "Less-Than-Lethal" weapons. They used to call them "Non-Lethal, but after people started dieing from them, they realized that the word didn't mean what they thought it did.

Bean bag rounds, like the Super Sock, are classified as Less-Than-Lethal too. If you shoot someone in the chest, arms, or legs, you'll incapacitate them. Shoot someone in the head, neck, or back and there's a strong chance you'll kill them.