CingularDuality

Check out this video (I don't have sound, so I hope the audio is good): http://alt.coxnewsweb.com/palmbeachp...aserarrest.mov

I got the video from this page: http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/co...r_video3a.html
It has commentary from a training officer that breaks down exactly what the police officer in the video was doing and why.

And there's a link to this special report on whether or not Tasers are used too much:
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/co...ers/index.html


I've never used a Taser, but it sure seems like it's a highly effective tool that keeps both officers and bad guys from being hurt.

What do you think?

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AzzMan

That video wasnt suprising at all. Welcome to America today, where if you DONT do things like that and you're a cop, you get SHOT and killed.

Yeah, that was really quick to use a taser but hey, in SOME situations that would have been called for. Not in THAT one though.

Tempus

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Mateo

I can see both sides of it. On the one hand, it does seem like you give a man a badge and he "becomes a god" as Tempus quotes....on the other hand, I seem to see on the news every night where some police officer is being dragged 1000 feet by a motorist he is trying to apprehend, is shot at by some robber or drug dealer, or some madman wholed up in their hose.

Personally, I think that police need to err on the side of caution. If its a taser or a less lethal shotgun, well, so be it.

CingularDuality

I knew somebody would eventually say it, I just didn't expect it to be in the first reply...

What do you mean, not in THAT situation? What do you know about THAT situation? Did you see the weapon that the lady grabbed? Did you see the dangerous drugs that she was trying to swallow? Did you see what she was doing to her infant daughter?

No, of course not... But it's so much fun to play armchair quarterback with the lives of people that are out there trying to make our world a better place.

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DudeMan

OH FOR GOODNESS SAKE WHY BOTHER ASKING THE QUESTION WHEN YOUR ONLY RESPONSE IS PRAISE THE COP AND I WILL NOT HEAR A BAD WORD SAID ABOUT THEM.

excuse the capitals, that was excessive force plain and simple the only difference is, alot of people seem to accept the thuggish behavior of some police officers today.

please cing, i am not trying to antagonise, but you pose the question "are police too quick?", then acuse the person who believes they are of being armchair quaterback. please, why ask a question if you are hostile from the outset to anyone who will disagree.

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"Those who perpetrate these brutal acts against innocent people should know that they will not change our way of life,"
Atrocities such as these simply reinforce our sense of community

TheFeniX
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Dog

I think I missed the weapon, drugs and infant daughter in the news report.. but will go back and read it more thoroughly...

Was he justified? Clearly (to me)
Was he too quick? probably.
Could he have handled the situation without it? probably, with adequate intelligence and proper training.
Was she obnoxious? You betcha

Armchair quarterback? Most of us live everday with others evaluating our actions, most of us are better for it. Considering that most of the good people "on the job" are there to protect and serve their communites, it seems reasonable for the community to have a voice in how that job is carried out.

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AzzMan

I mean, simply put, that he could have done something other than shoot her witha god damned TASER- I don't know the laws in and out so I don't know what else was possible, but that wasnt 100% absolutly forced and nessicary.

That comment is just stupid. No, I damn well didn't. I wasn't the cop and I didn't have a good view of her car, her daughter, her 12 guage shotgun that she keeps between seats- I saw what the cop did.

And WTF is an 'armchair quarterback'???

GhostintheShell

Hahaha...suspended licence and you get tased!
I can't stop laughing at the ridiculousness of it.

Yeah, she was really a dangerous character there, especially the way she cried like bambi on the ground for 10 minutes wondering what she did that was so bad.

I guess she should have stopped off to renew her drivers licence.

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phyllis

I think I'll avoid that part of the country....

Did his behaviour seem extreme...sure did to me.... from the video, and video only, having an officer on each side of the car seems like one could have kept her occupied while the other either removed her, or cuffed her up. As for her getting tased a second time, that definetly seemed a bit much...

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Mateo

I find it best to avoid anything but the coasts......you know, where the left thinking people are.

Apophis

Could he have subdued her without using the Taser? Possibly. Would I ever ask a law enforcement officer to refrain from the use of any technology to safely subdue an individual disregarding orders up until the point where it is impossible to do anything BUT use this technology? Never. What is the point at which it is right for a LEO to tase a suspect? After an instance of vehicular assault? After a suspect fires a weapon at them out their vehicle window?

I don't know where everyone else lives, but I know around here when the police tell you to do something, you don't say "no, I'm making a call" and ignore their orders.

After having one of our state troopers gunned down in the past couple years during a routine traffic stop, how can we expect them to do their job yet at the same time expect to put themselves at risk day in and day out without tools such as this to protect themselves from what happened here in Rhode Island?

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Pokerface

We expect them to do their job, but we also expect them to exhibit restraint. They can have the tools, but using them without a good reason is an abuse of the power that we've granted them.

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AzzMan

Exactly. There are plenty- and mostly- of other situations where that was next to nessicary. The second she reaches for something concealed, no matter what, after having been told to put the phone down and exit the vehicle, I can see no reason to refrain from using it. The second shot was entirly unnessicary.

TheFeniX

I can't watch the video right now as bandwisth is limited, but I will say this:

If you defy a reasonable order (show me your hands, don't move, put that down, etc) from a peace officer, you get whatever is coming to you. Officers don't have the luxury of sitting in front of their PCs and watching the video seeing everything going on. They have to assess a threat on the spot and if I was a guy with a gun giving someone (reasonable) orders from a position of authority and they were ignoring me I would immediately be put on guard.

Given the option of using my taser or engaging the person with my hands... can you say "Bzzt?"

Solution: do what the officer says unless his command seems unreasonable.

Edit: Ok, the compression was high enough so I watched the video. She ignored a simple order from an officer 5 times. Then acted surprised when he threated force and acted on it? If a cop told me he was going to zap me if I didn't get out of a car, you bet I'd be moving.

Man or woman, that's still stupid.

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