Ute fans angry at police for electrical shocking (24 Tasered)

[RamboLiberal]

An Arizona Department of Public Safety officer holds a Taser to the back of a Utah fan as he is subdued after running onto the field following Utah's Fiesta Bowl win.
AP

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2005/football/ncaa/specials/bowls/2004/01/05/bc.fbc.utahfans.taser.ap/index.html?cnn=yes

Some Utah fans are upset that police responsible for security at the Fiesta Bowl used 50,000-volt electric devices to zap fans trying to storm the field after the win.

Arizona State University spokesman Keith Jennings said the use of the weapons was in line with the department's use-of-force policy.

That policy allows officers to use electronic incapacitators anytime a subject is involved in a physical altercation with an officer.

Jennings said two individuals were arrested for scuffling with officers immediately after the game, but he told The Salt Lake Tribune he wasn't sure whether either was among the estimated 24 who were shocked by the devices after Utah's 35-7 win over Pittsburgh in Saturday's Fiesta Bowl.

<snip>

University of Utah Police Chief Scott Folsom questioned the necessity of shocking the fans, who were attempting to enter the field after being beckoned by several Ute football players.

[librechik]

1. Republican "intervention" --get used to more of this n/t

[oldlady]

2. I don't get it

isn't the man already subdued?? I thought the plan was: taser to subdue. Is the new plan: subdue to taser.
barbaric

[Trillo]

5. It's punishment (pain compliance) and behavior modification. nt

[William Bloode]

30. You hit the nail...

Right on the head! It's becoming a way to punish more than anything.

Myself having been beaten with a baton, and shocked via taser, i'll take the baton everytime.

[bpilgrim]

3. so much for tradition

what is the deal with all these tasserings lately?

has a policy been changed somewhere or is this part of the post 911 world we all live in now?

peace

[Ian David]

4. Maybe he WANTED to be tasered?

"Excuse me, officer... is that a taser? I made a bet with my buddies here that I would let you taser me. Would you mind? Can you just hold me down so I don't hurt myself? Ok, I'm ready! Yahooo! Go UTE! Yah! Yah! Yah! WhoOOoOOoooh! Dude, that rocked! Tase me again! Tase me again! Wait, let me have another beer first..."

[bpilgrim]

7. don't give the man any ideas

:evilgrin:

peace

[RamboLiberal]

8. I think the cops are all getting these new playtoys

and want to try them out.

While I believe there are certainly situations where Tasers and Pepper Spray should be used I'm getting the feeling that a lot of cops are relying too much on them, especially the Tasers.

And from watching a couple of Cops episodes I'm wondering if some cop is going to get shot cause they run in to a situation where they got the Taser in what should be their gun hand.

[cosmicdot]

6. Bush-Kerik America

the Gov. of AZ should review that "use-of-force policy" ... probably comes with Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio's stamp of approval

more emboldened at the local level (and, with new police state gadgets)

[saigon68]

17. Joe Arpaio = modern day Amon Goethe

Deal with it Joe you are a thug with a badge.

[daleo]

9. I've heard there ain't a lot of love lost between Utah and Arizona

Note that it seems to be Utah fans being tasered by Arizona police.

This tasering thing is way out of hand, though. As someone said, it is just a chance for the police to be judge, jury, and temporary executioner to "keep the rabble in line". Another way to dispense with the practice of civil rights, while maintaining the appearance.

[LiberalFighter]

37. So then it might be time for the citizens to be...

judge, jury, and executioner of police.

[Renew Deal]

10. The tasering is getting out of hand.

Really now. Can't they find a better way to deal with it. People will be killed over nothing.

[Baclava]

12. No shit.

What ever happened to the good old blackjack or steel baton?
Bust in their faces...people understand a good old-fashioned beating.

(just kidding)

[Susang]

11. That's odd

I was recently told on this very forum that police *never* use Tasers for crowd control and only are supposed to use Tasers in place of deadly force.

Just like they *never* use Tasers unnecessarily on children, or the homeless, or the mentally ill..... :eyes:

[Historic NY]

20. There is no evidence this Taser is being used......it appears that the

cartridge is still in place... if it is removed the instrument acts as a regular stun gun. In fact the officers finger isn't even on the trigger, so it is not operative.

[Susang]

28. Not in that picture

You might want to try reading the article, it states that 24 people were Tasered. That's what I was talking about. :eyes:

[NYC]

21. This implies that their other option

was to shoot people running onto the football field.

(They may be working up to that.)

[Ian David]

24. The "other option"

The "other option" used to be the cops would form a barrier with their own bodies and try to physically hold the crowd back.

Either crowds have gotten worse, or else cops have gotten weaker.

[NYC]

27. They don't take any chances.

They have "physical" jobs, but seem unwilling to take any physical risk.

The option you mentioned seems to have been totally abandoned.

[BiggJawn]

32. Have you priced Cop Clothes lately?

Sheesh! PRICE-Eeeeee!

More cost effective to zap the perp than have to deal with a torn or soiled uniform, y'know...

24 people hit with cattle prods. Now, a headline like that would piss even some "law and order" types off, but "24 subdued with non-lethal TASERS", well, hey, at least they weren't in danger or anything....

[LiberalFighter]

39. Wouldn't it be appropriate to apply the taser as a cattle prod...

up their rectum?

I wonder how many would volunteer?

[devilgrrl]

13. Hey people of Utah and Arizona! You voted for this!

Feel safer yet?

[HuckleB]

35. Not all of them did.

I hope we can remember that much.

[The_Casual_Observer]

14. A preview of the treatment of protesters in the future.

[Solly Mack]

15. America: Home of the Tasered

of course, most of the public has been so conditioned into believing any action by the police is for their own protection against "those people" (pick any those you want)...they can't see that they are the those themselves. No one is safe when things like this are so freely allowed and sanctioned.

[saigon68]

16. Those People? You mean the " Darkies" ?

Most white Repukes are deathly afraid of the Black Man-- They think he will be "dating" their blonde daughter.

I hear this shit all the time, when cops I know, refer to their baton as a "Nigger Knocker"

[Solly Mack]

18. I mean any people the government has convinced others to be afraid

of...it's how they get those extreme laws passed and how they justify using extreme measures.


And those people are in quotes for a reason...because that's how a lot of those idiots say it "those people"...as a means of marginalizing others and making a divide

[saigon68]

22. So Right Solly Mack

The repukes know every moran in Amerika likes to make an enemy out someone "lower" on the food chain.
Kind of like illegal aliens hate a bum, who is drunk in the gutter, who has just pissed himself.

[Solly Mack]

23. My husband calls it the "who am I better than today" syndrome

That governments and hate groups try to make people hate others as a means to control them. If governments can keep people in fear of each other, then there's no way they'll learn to communicate and discover it's their government using them in order to take their rights from them.

[Guaranteed]

19. The ACLU in our city was on this before all the crap started going

down. They KNEW that this would start happening.

The county board authorized the money without even having a taser-use policy in place. I'm not sure how it played out, but our chapter went to the board to make sure that they had a very specific protocol for using them.

My opinion- Taser use should be in between baton and gun.

[Susang]

29. It's only supposed to be used in place of deadly force

The Taser company thinks otherwise and has pushed this weapon vigorously for crowd control, etc.; it's very disturbing.

[TahitiNut]

25. Cattle prods. The livestock should just get on board those boxcars.

:shrug:

[0007]

26. Where's Orin Hatch when ya need him?

[Inland]

31. Golly, I miss college.

[HuckleB]

33. This is about agression and power, not protecting property or people.

When will these people get over themselves? How many times across the nation has security been able to easily "protect" the grass and the goal posts without using tasers?

I can't believe these idiots. This is about aggression and power, not about protecting property or even people. There is simply no justification for this. It's an abuse of power, and someone should sue the crap out of them.

[daleo]

36. Probably less harm done if fans just run on the field

At the point where dozens of people are tasered to prevent some people from running on the grass, you have to wonder what is the point?

[Logansquare]

34. Tasers and "non-lethal" projectiles--an increase in use?

I'd really like to see *some* media source who gives a damn research why there seems to be a dramatic increase in the use of tasers and supposed "non-lethal" projectiles like wooden bullets and pepper balls in the last two years. Are police departments buying these goodies with Homeland security funds; are they being encouraged to stock up on these? The tasering of "uncooperative" suspects is getting insane--elderly people, disabled, children--it's like the police are being encouraged to zap first and ask questions later.

[aikido15]

38. Good point...

I'd like to know the answer to that also. It sucks.

[Lost4words]

40. sooner or latter this will backfire and all hell will brake loose. n/t