A window into Taser use at the border

The U.S. Border Patrol started issuing Tasers to agents in 2008 as a way to curb deadly force in border encounters. But in many cases, the stun guns were used in ways that put suspects at risk.

Other times, the agents said they used Tasers after being threatened, or during a physical struggle, or after the person had twisted out of their grasp and tried to run. Some of the reports had missing or minimal descriptions of what happened.

In at least 70 case files, among 2,000 obtained by The Times, agents, by their accounts, deployed the Tasers to try to capture people who were running away and posed no threat. Sometimes, suspects were stunned repeatedly or while in handcuffs.

Those reports, partially redacted by government officials, are published below.