Seattle Cops TASER a bear to death.

[maxsolomon]

Dear Seattle Police Dept.: haven't you had enough of killing the homeless with Tasers? now you have to move into other species?

http://archives.seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/texis.cgi/web/vortex/display?slug=bear22m&date=20060522&query=bear

<snip>Bears in Seattle's outer suburbs aren't uncommon this time of year as they scavenge for springtime food in what once was their habitat, said Chandler. Last week, one bear was wounded and another captured at an apartment complex in the Issaquah Highlands. Police believe the Seattle bear is one spotted Friday in Shoreline.

The first sighting in the University District on Saturday morning couldn't be substantiated, said Whitcomb. Then, shortly before 10:30 p.m., the 911 calls started coming in.

What ensued was one part comedy, two parts anxiety-ridden chaos, as sightings reported from all over the neighborhood north of the university sent police dashing from one spot to the next. Seattle called out 26 officers in all, including the police SWAT team.<snip>

<snip>One Seattle police officer jolted the bear with a Taser, a gunlike device that delivers a paralyzing dose of electricity, said Chandler. But the effect wore off before Chandler could get another tranquilizer dart prepared. When the bear revived, he moved toward police officers, who came pouring off the hillside "like rats from a sinking ship," Chandler recalled. "It was really quite comical."

They corralled the bear on the sidewalk, where it received another blast from a Taser, and Chandler gave it a tranquilizer shot by hand. A few seconds later, he said, the bear stopped breathing.<snip>

[AX10]

1. The Northwest "Police" are an America-Hating troublesome bunch.

With that said, just maybe the airforce will have a "friendly fire" (during working hours) incident on the Taser factory. This is possible because TaserTerrorist International is outwest in Arizona where there are a many airforce bases.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=184x8473

[SoFlaJet]

2. Damn

and just think Steven Colbert is on vacation LOL

[NJ_Lib]

26. LOL... He would be all over this one...

... Did ya'll watch when he had the clip about the new "bear-resistant" trashcans that are being tested? They had a bear "work" on the can to see if he could open it and for an entire hour he tried, and failed... Stephen ended with, "Great, so you've got a hungry bear in your back yard that's now pissed-off and frustrated"... Classic Colbert...

Come back Stephen, we miss you...!

[Recursion]

3. First Germany, now Seattle....

These bears are everywhere!!!

[Kagemusha]

4. Oh calm down, it's not like they meant to kill it.

Also exactly what killed it is still unclear. Experts should make a determination so that this hopefully won't repeat itself.

At least by using Tasers the bear had a CHANCE to live. Pumping it full of lead would've resulted in a more certain outcome.

Chill.

[maxsolomon]

15. i prefer not to.

Tasers combined with drugs & fear are lethal on humans. before there WERE tasers, this would have been handled using tranq darts only.

i would have liked to see this little guy get a fresh start up in the Cascades instead of having his adrenalized heart electrocuted.

[SeattleGirl]

19. And would you feel the same if the bear had attacked a person?

I'd really like to know. It's sad that the bear died, but untamed animals in a residential area is not a good combination.

[maxsolomon]

28. please cite the odds that it would attack a person

you're giving me 'won't someone save the children?' nervous nelly logic. what if? what if? i would ask you in return: what if my aunt had balls? the point is that she doesn't have balls.

i live in a neighborhood with coyotes & raccoons & possums, any of whom could easily "attack a person", too. but they don't. they're scared of us cuz we have TASERS.

this bear wanted nothing but to get the hell away. and the only recent bear attack i know of is the a**hole professional hunter on the olympic peninsula protecting Rayonier's 'resources' under the auspices of the WA dept of fish & wildlife, and he only got mauled because his dogs drove the mature, fighting for his life bear right towards him.

do you know of some others?

[SeattleGirl]

31. Is this the incident to which you refer? Sounds like more than a "bite"

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2002948254_bear23.html

You are minimizing the seriousness of this attack, it seems. Besides, I never claimed that bears are attacking everywhere. But it seems that you think the cops were hunting bear for the sport of it. If I looked outside and saw a bear in my yard, I would want someone to get it the hell out of there. That doesn't mean I would want it to be killed, but if it's a choice between me or another human, and a bear, humans win, hands down.

[maxsolomon]

32. yes, that's it

and i was rooting for the bear.

"minimizing the seriousness"? do you know WHY they were hunting it out of season? to PROTECT THE CAMBIUM LAYER OF COMMERCIAL TIMBER TREES.

[SeattleGirl]

33. It doesn't matter why.

I really don't understand your attitude. You don't like what the hunters were doing, so you were hoping the bear would kill them? I really don't understand that. Not at all.

[maxsolomon]

44. you must not be a misanthrope

take a look around you. us monkeys are fucking this planet up but good. when an idiot gets killed being an idiot, i don't shed many tears.

[Kagemusha]

45. Look, we're not saying here the cops didn't mess up.

But they couldn't just let the bear get within claw range because they didn't have the tranq ready. Now, not having the tranq ready is their bad, no question, none whatsoever. It would've been far preferable if they had it ready. But, they did not, and they tried to deal as best they could. As I said, by shocking rather than just pumping the bear full of lead. It didn't work. Everyone needs to learn from it, pass the word, let people know to get the damn tranq ready properly next time so you aren't faced with the choice of using a taser.

Having said all that, this is a failure, not an intentional and callous killing. Please appreciate that. These cops did what they had to do to protect themselves in a flawed situation. At that point, they have just as much right to defend themselves as any bear.

[maxsolomon]

48. doing NOTHING was an unexplored option

that's what i tend to do when faced with a bear on a trail. and it works real good so far. 10 bear sightings, no maulings.

just let the little guy go run off somewhere & hide, and take another shot at him later. or not. he's a baby bear, he's not likely to hurt anyone, especially if you tell all the nervous parents to keep their precious pumpkins indoors. set out bait, as another poster suggested, and trap his ass.

i never said it was intentional. it was stupid & unneccessary. the inflexibility of regimented institutions frustrates me greatly.

[Kagemusha]

49. You read the part about this being on a sidewalk near a college, right?

And they said 150 pounds, right?... that's big enough that hurting someone is possible. I won't speak of likely. That'd require expertise I don't have.

But this wasn't on a trail, so I'm not sure I would recommend to cops that they should explore the option of doing nothing in a situation exactly like this.

If that's not good enough, my apologies.

[maxsolomon]

52. not only was it near a college

it was 4 blocks from where my stepson lives as he attends said college. in the general neighborhood where i, too, live. and still i remain unafraid of letting it be. had it been outside my house, i'd get my dog inside, and call the neighbors & suggest likewise. i don't know that i'd call the cops.

it was a juvenile black bear. i weigh more than that bear. so did every cop on the scene. they forced the situation because doing nothing is not an option for them, & the bear is dead.

[Kagemusha]

54. I imagine because they're responsible for protecting you.

They didn't want to take the same chance you would of your own volition and risk putting you in a difficult situation not of your own volition.

As I said, they failed. But I wouldn't ascribe evil to them for trying.

[SeattleGirl]

47. Humans are fucking the planet up, no doubt.

But God help me if I were ever in danger and you disapproved of something I may be doing. I would hate for the last thing I heard in my earthly life the sound of your laughter as I died.

Wishing someone dead because I don't approve of what they do is just not in me. I'm sorry that it does appear to be in you.

[maxsolomon]

51. thanks for the pity

most likely i wouldn't laugh at you while you died. i'd wait till an appropriate period afterwards, like every other monkey on the planet does. tragedy + distance = comedy.

but if you were in danger from a bear, and i was there, i'd probably die trying to save you. unless you are a professional bear hunter.

[SeattleGirl]

59. Pity? For what?

If you are referrng to the bear that was killed, yes I do feel bad. I do not think it was the intention of the cops to kill it, though, from my understanding of the story. And, I also can't find it in me to laugh at the death of a human being. Now, perhaps you are using gallow's humor and I'm just not getting it, but I'm finding it hard to laugh at your point of view. I find it sad, actually.

[maxsolomon]

65. quote:

"I'm sorry that it does appear to be in you."

[xchrom]

5. oh good lord.

they routinely tranquilize bears with great success -- now this?

can you imagine the pain that bear was in?

[AX10]

8. Does the Taser do something to the body when coupled with....

tranquilizers or other drugs, both legal and illegal? There are many cases of people are have been drinking and taking drugs, both prescription and the "illegal" kind and they have died in the more severe cases and has experienced anything from loss of consciousness to a temporary irregular heart beat in the "less" severe cases.

Something to consider.

[Asgaya Dihi]

21. Sometimes

Some drugs can cause increased blood pressure, heart rate, and other symptoms which can make a heart attack or other problem more likely. The taser just adds to that.

It's fairly routine for cops to be tazed themselves as a part of training so they are generally convinced it's no big deal, but there's a difference between someone who is fit and often large and someone who is in poor health or already under stress. Some don't give enough credit to that aspect.

[xchrom]

58. you know -- i don't know.

but i'm thinking that would be a very fair guess.

[NJ_Lib]

6. Lovely... What's next, small children and the...

... mentally disabled...? Oh wait... I think that too has been done...

[SeattleGirl]

11. Would you rather that the bear had attacked people?

I don't like to hear about animals hurt or killed, but given a choice between an animal and a person, I'm going to pick the person. This is not the first bear that has been hanging around neighborhoods here. There was one not long ago around a children's playground. From what I read of this story, they were not trying to kill the animal, but they were having trouble subduing it.

Again, I'm going to pick people over animals. And I'm not going to make the kind of leap you did, where you seem to assume that the cops are out of control. Actually, it was the bear that was.

[Maru Kitteh]

16. Oh yes, of course.

And if we don't support the Iraq occupation we want the terrorists to win right? Because everyone knows it's either one or the other. Let's kill all bears on sight at all times, they're all out of control these days, taking over our natural human habitat and hunting us for trophies and exotic folk cures. :sarcasm:

[Lerkfish]

23. sure, being as I'm a circus bear myself.

:crazy:

of course people objecting to tasering a bear were instead hoping the bear killed people.

of course.....IN CRAZY LAND.

[NJ_Lib]

24. Who's fault is it that these bears are coming...

... to our homes to feed? I think we all know the answer to that. There are more humane ways to control bear populations and wayward bears, if we really wanted to.

[SeattleGirl]

25. Their priority at the moment was controlling that one bear.

You are right, there are humane ways to control bear populations, but when a bear is in the backyard, you have to take care of that situation right then. Again, I don't think the cops meant to kill it. It's unfortunate that that happened.

[maxsolomon]

30. no one's fault. its spring.

little fella had probably just been booted out by mom who had new cubs, & he was travelling, trying to find food & his own territory.

he took a serious wrong turn. he was 3 miles from downtown.

[NJ_Lib]

57. Does happen I guess... But most times animals wander...

... out of the woods to look for food. Their territories are getting smaller and smaller because we have to have million dollar houses now on every available green square foot, so food and water supplies are dwindling for these guys and they come into residential areas where the scent of food is everywhere... Who could blame them?

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

68. It's a black bear, not a grizzly.

They're everywhere by me. They're only dangerous if you're standing directly between a mother and the cubs. The recommended method of scaring a black bear is...

get this...

waving your arms and yelling at them!

I've been within 10 feet of them. Everytime I've seen one they've either completely ignored me and continued what they were doing or they have looked at me and wandered in the opposite direction.

[Howardx]

7. how the hell did a bear get to the u district?

thats what i want to know

[maxsolomon]

10. walked down the bike trail would be my guess

pretty green & wooded all the way.

but it is definitely interesting.

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

69. We had one in Irvington, NJ recently.

Irvington is like Newark except scarier. Newark has nice parts; Irvington doesn't. It's the time of year when young males start wandering in search of new territory and with humans encroaching onto their territory, they can end up in cities real easy.

[MadHound]

9. Geez, doesn't anybody know how to corral a bear

And get it out of town? Hell, just make a bait bag, filled with marshmallows, raisins and apples, tie it on a rope to the back of a car, and start slowly driving out of town. The bear will follow you where ever you go, and once you get there, cut the bait loose and let the bear have at it. No tranqs. no guns, no Tasers.

[NuttyFluffers]

61. i never knew to do that, but it's so logical...

have you done this before? i was of the mind that everyone needs more tranq guns. what a delightful world that'd be... but one filled with bags of marshmellows, raisins, and apples is almost as good.

[MadHound]

63. I worked for awhile with a woman who had an exotic breeds license

And who took care of various animals seized from "exotic animal" places, private people, cheap junk circuses and other places where such animals were abused. She would take them in, bring them back to health and give them a good home. Lured more than one bear out of a back yard or park with a bait bag.

She had two black bears who were friendly as all get out. I could play with them and wrestle around with them without fear. The ultimate treat for them, which they only got when they were especially good, was to stick their paws out and have a marshmallow stuck on each claw. Mmm-mmm! Yummy sticky treat!

That was twenty years ago, and Rusty and Dusty are probably long gone, lovely bears that they were.

[NuttyFluffers]

66. that's too cute! marshmellows stuck on each claw!

like kids with pitted olives on each finger! except bears come with natural skewers.

well, apparently she knows a lot about simple and safe methods of dealing with animals that we could all benefit from. she could probably write a pamphlet to help shelters and authorities elsewhere.

[Caution]

12. Gimme a break. They tried to subdue the bear and return it to the wild

It's unfortunate that the bear died, but if they had been tryign to kill it they would have simply shot it. Even when the bear turned and charged towards them they still used the taser rather than the far more effective stopping power of a 9mm.

I'm not a fan of tasers either but this kind of sensationalism only serves to cloud the issue.

[SeattleGirl]

14. Amen, Caution

Some of the posters here are reacting as if the cops went on a cold blooded kill just for the sport of it.

[SeattleGirl]

13. Before you all rush to condemn the cops, please READ the story

Particulary the third paragraph from the end. The bear was putting up a heck of a fight. What were they to do? Let it run around in a populated area?

Edited to add link: http://www.komotv.com/news/story_m.asp?ID=43546

[maxsolomon]

17. i read it

by "fight" you mean "running away"?

my issue is the TASER, and how commonly this non-lethal method is lethal.

[NJ_Lib]

27. I don't think anyone is upset at the cops themselves...

... after all, do they not take orders from their higher-ups on how a situation should be handled...?

[dogday]

18. Burning Fur could not of smelled pleasant nt

[ContraBass Black]

20. There were people nearby, the bear was angry, and the officer

Didn't think he had time to reach for and load another dart. I think me made the right choice.

[Judi Lynn]

39. It would make more sense to recognize the bear was terrified

it would be killed and wanted desperately to flee to safety.

[AngryAmish]

22. We need a Bear Squad!!!!

We're here, we're queer, we don't want anymore bears!

[BlooInBloo]

29. Better than Redmond (outside of Seattle) cops tasering diabetics....

jus' sayin'....

[maxsolomon]

34. well, diabetics DESERVE tasering!

of course its :sarcasm:

[BlooInBloo]

43. We're tasering 'em in their cars....

... so we won't have to taser 'em in the pharmacy, dontcha know!

[pocket]

35. BAN TASERS NOW

they are nothing but a police torture device.

[Judi Lynn]

36. Too many fools with too much power, and not enough intelligence required

to make the right choices.

Supported by too many fools glad to see them wielding power foolishly.

[SeattleGirl]

37. Why are you assuming they were "fools with too much power"?

Seems there are a number of people jumping all over the cops as if the cops were taking perverse pleasure in killing an animal. I don't get that at all from what I'm reading.

Do some cops misuse their power? Sure they do. But not every cop is a bad cop. Not every situation involves power-mad cops trying their best to wreck the most hell and havoc they can.

[jody]

38. OP subject is misleading. Nothing says "Cops TASER a bear to death".

The article does say "Chandler gave it a tranquilizer shot by hand. A few seconds later, he said, the bear stopped breathing." That was the second tranquilizer dart.

If you've ever used a tranquilizer gun you should know animals can die from drug overdose.

[maxsolomon]

53. sequence

tranq shot
taser
tranq shot
dead bear

drugs & taser = heart attack

at least in humans that's been the pattern.

[jody]

56. Are you suggesting that illegal drug users who commit crimes carry a sign

saying "Don't Use Electronic Guns, I'm on Drugs"?

I'll :toast: that!

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

40. Crazy, out of control bear fights with police...

loads up with drugs, can't take it (what a wuss), dies.

:nopity:

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

41. Shame The Bear Died, But I Don't See Flaw In Their Actions At All.

Debating whether we have a right to refuse these animals in our vicinity when we overtook their natural territory and not the other way around, is another story. But while that is common practice, I see nothing wrong with how this went down. It is unfortunate, however, that the bear didn't survive.

[Guaranteed]

42. Sounds like the tranquilizer is what actually killed it. nt

[Kagemusha]

46. They'd be irresponsible not to autopsy and make sure.

I mean, I can understand the shocks playing a role but, they should also check to make sure it wasn't some kind of independently adverse reaction to the tranquilizer too. This is an unfortunate incident and it should be learned from.

Though it sounds to me like if Tasers had been banned the bear would have indeed been pumped full of lead in that situation (where the tranq isn't ready).

[Rex]

50. Taser + tranquilizer = heart attack

These guys should know this.

[dysfunctional press]

55. that's why i like to keep my defribrulator handy on weekends...

sometimes it's possible to party a little too hearty.

[Jade Fox]

60. Party bear.....

It heard there were some good parties on Frat Row at the University of Washington, but ended up experiencing the ugly side of hazing.

[Triana]

62. So. We take their homes from them, then kill them...

..isn't that the same thing we did to the native americans too? Aren't we a nice bunch.

This reminds me of that bumpersticker:

"Thousands of plants and animals were killed off just to make room for your fat ass"

Isn't there any other way?

[jody]

64. What Triana said.

:thumbsup:

[Mojambo]

67. Somewhere Stephen Colbert is smiling. n/t

[MrScorpio]

70. I don't see the problem here

It's not like they wanted to kill the bear.

Poor bear, for sure... But I feel sorry for the cops to that realized that the bear died because of their actions.

The cops, however did what they did with public safety in mind.

If the the cops really wanted the bear dead, they would have shot fifty million bullets in his ass.

[Dangerously Amused]

71. I disagree with the argument that if the cops wanted the bear dead,

...they simply would have shot it. They were likely forbidden to shoot in such a heavily populated residential area. But that doesn't mean they weren't trying to kill it.