Tasers and kids -- Why is Cincinnati so taser--prone?? 52 events on kids

[lostnfound]

I want to create a database to track instances of the use of tasers on kids in school. I did a google search to start, and so far I've found a total of 17 separate occurrences..plus an article on Cincinnati, where police records show that tasers were used on 52 minors age 12 to 17 last year.

Total number of uses of tasers in Cincinnati also seemed high, over 600 instances reported in 2004 (all ages).

Florida also had a very high number, it appears.

Out of the 17 instances I found so far (excluding the nonspecific 52 in Cincinnati), the minors were already in handcuffs in 2 cases; in most of the cases they were unarmed. The 3 cases where they had knives/machetes were very vague and I haven't found real stories about them.

I suspect that many more such events have happened in other cities, they just aren't getting reported?

Date State City Age M/F Crime Link
10/4/2004 OR Portland 11 M Vandalism, threat?
http://www.portlandtribune.com/archview.cgi?id=26609
10/20/2004 FL Miami-Dade 6 M Threat to cut self
http://www.prisonplanet.tv/Pages/Nov_04/131104_taser.html
11/20/2004 MI Lincoln Park 14 M Playing nintendo
http://www.freep.com/news/locway/taser20e_20041120.htm
10/20/2004 FL Miramar 15 F Refused to obey police orders to stay
http://www.workers.org/ww/2005/police0127.php
1/15/2005 FL Lakeland TBD M Fighting, surrounding teacher
http://www.polkonline.com/stories/021405/communitynews_taser.shtml
1/21/2005 WI Madison 14 M Fleeing from officer; arrest warrant IN ERROR
http://www.wkowtv.com/$spindb.query.listnews.storeview.13965, http://www.wkowtv.com/$spindb.query.listnews.storeview.14016
11/5/2004 FL Miami-Dade 12 F Skipping class
http://www.sptimes.com/2004/12/19/State/Officer_uses_Taser_on.shtml
12/10/2004 FL Pembroke Pines 12 M Tried to stab student with pencil
http://www.sptimes.com/2004/12/19/State/Officer_uses_Taser_on.shtml
2/7/2005 IL Chicago 14 M Attacked workers; punched windows
tbd AZ TBD 13 F Threw book in public library amnesty internatl
May-04 AZ South Tucson 9 F Runaway from residential home
http://web.amnesty.org/library/index/ENGAMR511392004
2/5/2005 FL Pinellas Park 18 M Resisting arrest for disturbance
http://tampatrib.com/FloridaMetro/MGBX68ET15E.html
1/28/2005 AZ Phoenix TBD M Brawl
http://www.newszap.com/articles/2005/02/11/az/north_valley/ant02.prt
tbd CO TBD 7 M charged police
http://www.med.miami.edu/communications/som_news/index.asp?id=297
tbd TX TBD 9 M attacked mother
http://www.med.miami.edu/communications/som_news/index.asp?id=297
tbd CO TBD 13 F wave knives at police
http://www.med.miami.edu/communications/som_news/index.asp?id=297
1/20/2005 FL Jacksonville / Putnam County 14 F hit school officers
http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/news-article.aspx?storyid=31307

[sasquatch]

1. I guess it's more fun than the paddle

:shrug:
Sadist SOB's.

[KaliTracy]

2. possibly because of the incident where they killed Timothy Thomas

when he was running away from Police Officers (April 2001)? We had riots over that incident.

http://www.cincinnati.com/unrest/editorial.html

http://www.enquirer.com/oneyearlater/

I agree that there should be another way -- I just don't see how 50,000 volts going into a child could be humane. Though, I used to be a teacher, and one 8 year old (2nd grader) went completely bonkers when he saw that another kid who had hit him drew blood. It took two grown men to hold him down.

[Historic NY]

3. Your exactly right, spoke with some cops over that ....

the city then purchased Tasers for every street officer. The opinion in the force continuum is that the Taser gives and officer another tool before using deadly physical force. Right now there is nothing on the market that is reasonable to supply every officer with. I am sure in due time new items will appear. One must remember Tasers are now being constantly modified. Nothing is perfect yet. Each Taser records how it was used and for what duration..additioal data is also recorded and is downloaded after each use. I do agree, not ever incident warrants the use, and many agencies are redesigning their policies toward the use of them.

[lostnfound]

6. "To a man with a hammer"..It will be routine treatment in a year or two.

To a man with a hammer all kids look like nails.

What is exceptional today will be routine treatment in a year or two. The days when school halls were rowdy and loosely controlled will be a memory; the desire to control is deeply ingrained, and when you've got a powerful weapon like this in your hand, there will be a tendency to shoot for more and more discipline and order, enforced by the points of a Taser.

Solidifying our society as one which is based on violence.

What is lost will be a possibility that can no longer be imagined.

[kentuck]

4. They did a story on Tasers this AM on Democracy Now...

What kind of civilized society would permit such weapons to be used on its citizens???

[oasis]

5. Lots of taser info in that piece. Amy Goodman interview of Amnesty

International representative. It may replay this weekend.

[BiggJawn]

7. A society that considers its members to be livestock.

They're just cattle prods. Probably higher voltage, but the concept is the same. Apply high voltage to a creature to get it to do your bidding.

Didn't the Nazis use cattle prods to unload the rail cars at the Camps?

I get filled with total disgust everytime I see a pig with one of those things on his/her Utility Belt.