Colorado Man Has Permanent Nerve Damage from Taser

[struggle4progress]

By Paula Woodward
KUSA-TV Denver

GEORGETOWN, CO -- <snip>

Preston has sued the Clear Creek Sheriff's Office in Georgetown. His case highlights the question of whether tasers should be used for punishment in county jails. There is no policy for taser use in Colorado.

The surveillance tape, obtained exclusively by 9 Wants to Know, shows Preston come out of his cell, get a tray of food and throw it against the wall. At the time, there are no other inmates in the cell pod. Preston then goes back to his cell, slams the door and is automatically locked in. A short while later, two Clear Creek deputies enter the cell pod. One has a taser.

According to Preston and deputy depositions, they order Preston out of his jail to pick up his food and tray or else they'll "tase" him. Preston says "no". Deputies say he "swears" at them. Then, according to Preston and the surveillance video, Preston comes out of his cell and sits on a bench in the cell pod. His hands are folded in his lap and his head is down. Preston told 9News he just "wanted to be left alone" and that he was "not acting aggressively towards the sheriff deputies."

55 seconds later, Preston was tased in the back by one of the deputies. <snip>

http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/usworld/news-article.aspx?storyid=36713

[IChing]

1. torture is torture

THE LAWYER SAID:


"They can take his mail privileges. They can take his television privileges, his visitation privileges, his phone privileges," says Prestons's attorney David Lane. "They can take all kinds of privileges, but they are no more justified in torturing him physically because he violated a rule than they would be in taking out their guns and killing him because he violated a rule."

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

6. Wait a couple of minutes. You will hear the apologists crying he did a

crime, he's worthy of whatever punishment (torture) he receives.

[proud2BlibKansan]

17. Yep

and throwing food at the wall is a major crime all right. :sarcasm:

[valis]

20. Well, that was delicious food, I'm sure of it!!!

[rockedthevoteinMA]

2. What's with these freakin tasers? It seems every week at least

there's a death from someone being tasered. :banghead: What have we become?

[GreenArrow]

8. "What have we become? "

uhhhh... monsters?

[shanti]

22. yes, funny how

we don't hear these taser stories from other countries, only here.

[SouthernDem2004]

3. So should they have beat him down?

[sonicx]

4. nice strawman

[SouthernDem2004]

9. I fail to comprehend your meaning.

[IChing]

5. watch the video

But I guess you are right, a beating was needed, yes and bring the dogs in and ms.england.

[IChing]

7. Not just once

But for 5 minutes continuously.

[SouthernDem2004]

10. I never said a beating was needed but it is a prison and he can not do

as he wishes. I personally would have sprayed him but there is a chance he would fight then.

[IChing]

11. did you watch the video?

He was non cooperative, and five minutes? not once,But five minutes of taser use.

[SouthernDem2004]

12. Couldn't find the video on the link.

[IChing]

13. It is right

at the top in the date of the article it looks like this
video; 5/5/2005

[SouthernDem2004]

14. Could they make the icon any smaller....

Well they had to do something with the guy. Non-compliance is not an option in a prison. It does not show them shocking him for 5 minutes either. Like I said, I would have sprayed him myself and then forced him into solitary. Prisons are not fun places and are very dangerous. Prisoners can not be allowed to run the prison.

I do have the urge to buy a Ford for some reason. :)

[Name removed]

15. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[SouthernDem2004]

16. They seldom do even though people "alert" when the disagree. So much

for free speech, eh?

[Psephos]

21. "Alerting" to an opinion you don't like is the height of intolerance

Alerting should be reserved for violations of DU posting rules only. Aesthetically, it seems *awfully* close to saying "I'm gonna tell Mom on you."

Keep on posting, SouthernDem. I don't always agree with you but I always respect where you're coming from.

Peace.

[Name removed]

31. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[SouthernDem2004]

32. Why bother alerting? Mods will probably delete your post anyway.

[sendero]

33. Yeah but I got to say it..

.... "the jury will disregard that remark".

[proud2BlibKansan]

18. He was in jail!!

What in the world was he going to do? Shoot a cop?

So he got mad. Why not just lock the cell door and walk away?

I think tasers can be a great alternative when dealing with threatening criminals. But this guy was in no way a threat.

[IChing]

19. he wanted to go back to his cell

but they handled it the american way, see the video.

[DoNotRefill]

23. I've been tased a couple of thousand times....

in the past 20 years.

If that constitutes torture, I'm Kermit the frog.

[Solon]

25. Getting shocked, mildly, by a 9 volt battery on the toungue...

does NOT constitute being tased. Where are your burn marks?

[DoNotRefill]

28. the "burn marks"...

are about as damaging as a series of mosquito bites. I've been hit on the legs, the torso, in the armpit, and on the neck, with both tasers and stun-guns.

Hell, we used to use them as party-tricks. You can do some "interesting" things with them...ask your BDSM friends about it...odds are pretty good that they know what I'm talking about.

[thecai]

26. These Tasers Do Not Compare With Stun Guns

the old stun guns felt like a bee sting, hence police stopped using them and "graduated" to deadly tasers.

[DoNotRefill]

27. Oh horseshit...

both tasers and stunguns put out around 50,000 volts at a couple of milliamps. I've been hit by both.

It's a shame that you don't educate yourself about the technology in question before you go spouting off.

[SouthernDem2004]

30. If everyone in prison did what they wanted, when they wanted what do

you think would happen?

[thecai]

24. They Need To Outlaw...

...these dangerous and potentially deadly tasers.

[DoNotRefill]

29. Yup...

let's give the cops MORE of a reason to actually shoot people with guns!!!