Here's a tase that will piss you off....

[trumad]

Dash-cam video: Tased woman in vegetative state

In September of 2011, 20-yr-old Danielle Maudsley was tased by FHP. She was being arrested in a hit-and-run case and as she tried to escape from the Pinellas Park station was tased by Trooper Daniel Cole, causing her head to hit the pavement.


http://www.orlandosentinel.com/videogallery/68267451/News/Dash-cam-video-Tased-woman-in-vegetative-state

[TheWraith]

1. Can't see the video, but I've read the story. And it doesn't piss me off much, actually.

This is an example of reasonable use of a taser--to subdue a fleeing criminal--resulting in an unexpected accident. I don't think it belongs in the same category as a police officer using a taser on an angry 11 year old, a grannie who refuses to get out of the car, or zapping someone eighteen times.

[KansDem]

3. Beg to differ

The woman was handcuffed with her hands behind her back. How far could she have gone? The officer looks to be severely overweight, indicating he was out of shape. So he couldn't give chase because of his lard-o-ass physique, so he pulls his taser instead.

There has been too many uses of tasers and pepperspray in recent years. Maybe police departments should require a minimum standard for physical fitness for officers so they can do their duties and not have to rely on their "toys."

[Crabby Appleton]

5. her hands are cuffed in front, nt

[KansDem]

7. I saw the video again and you are correct

That raises another question: why wasn't she handcuffed with hands behind the back?

Florida Highway Patrol Policy Manual--

B. RESTRAINING DEVICES
1. Except as provided in this policy, prisoners will be handcuffed with hands behind the back and palms facing outward if possible.
2. Prisoners whose arms cannot be physically joined in back shall be handcuffed in front with hands back to back.
3. When the hands and wrists are too small or too large for the cuffs, the plastic cuffs will be used.
4. When prisoners will be transported over an extended distance or for an extended period of time, they may be handcuffed with their hands in front. Further precautions may be taken to limit hand movement. The prisoner's belt may be looped through the handcuffs with the buckle to the rear, an extra set of handcuffs may be used to secure the applied handcuffs to the prisoner's reversed belt, or Flex-Cuffs may be used.
5. Handcuffs should be double-locked, and prisoners should remain handcuffed until released to the place of detention or incarceration.
6. Flex-Cuffs should generally be considered as temporary restraints, useful in mass arrests, while transporting prisoners not deemed to be escape risks over long distances, or supplementary to steel handcuffs.
7. Other appropriate restraints may be used when necessary to prevent escapes, ensure member safety, or minimize self-inflicted injuries by prisoners.
8. Prisoners should not be handcuffed to any part of a vehicle while being transported.
9. Members will keep one handcuff key on the whistle lanyard and carry the other key on or about their person. Handcuff keys will not be left unattended near a prisoner.
10. At no time shall a member use any restraining technique that results in a prisoner being restrained with both the hands and feet together behind the back. Prisoners will not be placed in a position that results in their lying on their stomachs while restrained, as it may cause serious physical injury or death by positional asphyxiation.
http://www.flhsmv.gov/fhp/Manuals/1105.pdfpdf

Why did the officer handcuffed her with hands in front? I tried to find the answer and all I found was "cleared of wrongdoing."

[TheMadMonk]

9. Crash tackling by a 200lb+ copper could very likely have had...

...exactly the same effect.

Add a second cop, and a "spear tackle" with its very real risk of permanent neck injury becomes possible.

This is nothing more than the case of a drug addict paying a disproportionate price for her addiction.

[atreides1]

2. Guess what?

While it did piss off a few people, there were those who defended how the situation was handled by the police....and of course the fact that the officer used the taser within compliance with training standards, was accepted as reasonable.

I was surprised to find that there are some who would seem to prefer a police state on this site!

[nykym]

4. While I do not condone the use of

tasers by law enforcement in general. the link leaves out important parts of the story.
This was her second arrest for the day.
When she bolted from the police cruiser she ran into traffic.
They also found cocaine and amphetamines in her blood.
Yes I think it could have been handled much better without endangering the woman or the officer, but without all the information everything is speculation.

[trumad]

6. Well guys---

you know---the ones who approve of this in the thread...

She's fucking brain dead.

[Uben]

8. That is a tragedy....

... but the same thing could have occurred if she had just been tackled and hit her head. The best way to avoid these situations is to not get in them. Police officers are paid to uphold the law by legal means. I remember the day when she would have been shot for fleeing custody. I feel certain the outcome was not the one the tasing officer wanted, and I'm sure he is dealing with his own remorse to the incident, but what he did was "by the book". Tasers have their place, but we all know any form of force can and will be abused by some.

When I was a child, 7 or 8 yrs old, My mom and dad and my brother and I were going to a relatives house outside of town. As we were leaving town, we witnessed an inmate escaping from a local police car. The officer was a neighbor of ours. The cuffed inmate had ran behind the local water company and the officer was in chase. Dad parked the car, and headed out to help the officer apprehend the inmate, running around the other side of the water company building. They came back with the prisoner, one on each arm. He was kicking and screaming, and doing anything he could to resist. The officer pulled his weapon and shot the guy in the leg, which immediately stopped his strugglling. While that seems totally illegal, and probably was, that's how they dealt with things before tasers. The officer faced no charges.

If a person is not resisting arrest and is trying to cooperate yet still gets tasered, I agree that is unecessary force. But to criticize an officer for tasing a fleeing suspect? Really? He was following the laws of our land, she was not. She could have sustained the same injury from just tripping over something...tragic, of course, but it happens. Admittedly, I do not like criminals. I follow the laws of the land and have never been arrested or in trouble with the law. I expect others to do the same. If, in the course of a struggle,or in this case, an escape, I think tasers are an acceptable use of force. Beats the hell out of a gunshot to the leg, wouldn't you agree? Any resistance of an arresting officer is going to be met with swift and often painful restraint. Best thing to do is not resist. What if the officer had tripped and hit his head, and wound up brain dead? Would you have had empathy for him?

For one to think the tasing officer wanted this outcome is totally unreasonable. Had she just fell down when tasered, like they do ninety-nine point nine percent of the time, and had not been injured, this would be a non-issue. Shit happens.