Good Taser Use On Tough Job

[biftonnorton]

So much bad use of Tasers gets discussed here, I thought it'd be nice to see a justifiable and useful deployment mentioned. Check out the video of officer vs. apparently drunk motorist. I would hate to be out there alone doing the cop's job.

http://www.compfused.com/directlink/532/

[MadHound]

1. Question for you

Would you be praising this cop if the drunk had died after getting zapped multiple times? For with Tasers, that is a real possibility.

I'm sorry, I appreciate what cops do, but in this case I think using the Taser is simply the easy way out of dealing with this drunk. The man is damn near to drunk to stand, and if the cop had even a modicum of martial arts training(which should be required for every police officer), he would have had this fellow down within three seconds. Instead he gets into a sloppy pushy-pushy, shovey-shovey match with the drunk, and then tasers him multiple times. Sorry, I have no praise for this cop, he's sloppy on the job, and sloppy in his actions.

Damn, what would this cop have done thirty years ago before tasers?

[Cuban_Liberal]

2. "...what would this cop have done thirty years ago before tasers?"

Beaten him senseless with his baton.

[MadHound]

4. Nah, probably a hip wheel,

Followed up with pinning him down with a knee into the back. It would have been quite easy to do, the guy was in the perfect position for it, but nooooo, we must taser the shit out of him.

I've a cousin who is a police officer, been on the force for thirty years, and he laments what the police force has become. One of his gripes is that modern officers have been trained to go to the potentially lethal technology as a first option, rather than non lethal, hands on method of subduing a suspect.

And you and I get to pick up the lawsuit tab when people like this are killed or disabled in the tasering process.

[Nailzberg]

6. The "hands on" method gets police officers killed.

The last thing you want to do is get hands on. It puts a suspect in reach of the gun. Second, it is violent and much more likely to end with serious harm and a lawsuit against the city than a taser is.

And frankly, I value the cop more than the guy resisting him, and I fully support in this case, the cop's judgment to use the taser.

No offense to your cousin the cop, I have nothing but the utmost respect for him and the job he has done, but it sounds an awful lot like some kinda "when men were men and cops were cops" old-school pride making him talk like that. I'm from a firefighter family, I recognize that proud, tough guy talk when I hear it.

[Cuban_Liberal]

8. You're correct.

I'm a former deupty sheriff, and you're absolutely right.

[Nailzberg]

5. I always like to hear your opinion in law enforcement matters.

And I just about always agree with them. Thanks.

[KissMeKate]

10. hell they still do that.

eom

[biftonnorton]

7. Some Cops

could've probably executed a quick series of somersaults, preferably yelling, "Hup!" after each, somersaulting over to the combative subject and getting a good leg lock around his throat, then using their ninja skills, thrown the subject to the ground. Then, if they were lazy and wanted to avoid more physical confrontation that would be potentially dangerous to both of them, could've used a Jedi mind trick-- "You want to put the handcuffs on now," ensuring compliance and taking a drunk driver off the road so he wouldn't be driving into the path of us or a loved one. Some other cops, possibly leary of physical confrontation with potentially deadly subjects, might opt for using a method of compliance with a better track record of safety for both officer and subject. People in custody sometimes die from injuries sustained in takedowns-- the answer-- don't do stuff that gets you taken down. The guy got Tased a bunch because he wouldn't comply, and he didn't die. His shoulder probably wasn't dislocated from an arm bar, his windpipe wasn't hurt from a choke hold, his knees intact because there was no baton use. Good work by the cop!

[DS1]

3. That cop could have easily done the typical "put knee on back of neck"

and cuffed the guy much earlier - but he was being lazy and having fun tazering the guy.

Granted, the guy wouldn't listen, but he was drunk and tasered and I doubt I'd comprehend ~anything~ like that.

[KissMeKate]

9. perfect use of Taser.

I had a foster mother who was a police officer, tried to arrest a drunk and he kicked her ass while she was trying to go for her gun he attacked her before she got the snap unsnapped- it had stuck. she had to have plastic surgery, he broke one of her cheekbones. He went to jail for a long, long time- but she suffered from flashbacks from it and had to go to therapy. It can be really dangerous for police out there.

I find police officers indiscriminate use of tasers disgusting- but the symptom is of corrupting power- NOT the taser.

We need video cameras in cop cars that cant be turned off, video taped confessions, and more accountability for police brutality.

There is room for legitimate use of tasers, IMO.