In many criminal defense cases involving “Resisting Arrest” or Assault on a Law Enforcement Officer (LEO), the outcome often rests on the officer’s written narrative of the struggle.

Some of my clients have claimed the arresting LEO used a taser to “punish” them for “talking back” to them –and even used the taser after they were in handcuffs — and had nothing to do with “resisting”

However, modern police equipment like the Axon TASER 7 creates a digital trail that doesn’t rely on memory or bias. Taser logs are powerful evidentiary tools that can confirm—or directly contradict—the official police version of events.

What is a Taser Log?

Every time an officer unholsters and arms their Taser, the device begins recording data. Below these two pictures of a redacted Taser Log, is more detail what it provides and its usefulness for defendants. And link to a full xx-page Taser Log is at the bottom of this post.

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A standard Taser Log provides a precise, time-stamped breakdown of the following :

• Armed Events: Exactly when the safety was turned off and for how long the weapon was ready to fire.
• Trigger Pulls: The precise second the officer pulled the trigger.
• Discharge Duration: How long the electrical cycle lasted (typically around 5 seconds per pull).
• Cartridge Data: Which bay (Bay 1 or Bay 2) was deployed and the serial number of the specific cartridge used.
• Arc Button Use: Records of “warning arcs” or “drive stuns” where the weapon was used for pain compliance without firing probes.
• Battery & Firmware: Information confirming the device was fully powered and operational at the time of the incident.

How These Logs Help the Defendant

Taser logs are objective “witnesses”. They can be used in your defense in a number of ways:

1. identify critical discrepancies in a use-of-force narrative.
   • By syncing Taser Logs with body-cam footage or dispatch audio, the defense can build a second-by-second timeline to show the defendant was already complying or restrained when the Taser was used.
2. prove a violation of constitutional rights if you were tased illegally (e.g., in cuffs, etc.)
   • If an officer reports they “tased the suspect once,” but the Logs show three separate trigger pulls totaling 15 seconds of electricity, the defense can argue the force used was excessive and unauthorized.
3. provide evidence if “so-called “confession” was “voluntary” or if a taser-use or taser-threat prompted a false confession:
4. challenge “weapon malfunction” Claims:
   • Sometimes LEOs claim they tried to use their Taser but it “wouldn’t turn on” or did not discharge. This can be used to justify repeated taser use or justify a higher level of force (like a physical strike or firearm). The Logs can prove the weapon was actually fully operational, armed, discharged, etc.

Defense Action Items

If you have been involved in an incident where a Taser was deployed—or where an officer threatened to use one: Tell me!

• Do not assume it must be in the incident report and that your attorney knows of the Taser use. This is seldom true.
• Although I might expect to, I have never received this Logs in the initial police report or disclosures. I have never received them without asking for them.

Finally, click here for full and fully redacted Taser Log.