Federal appeals court sets limits on police use of Tasers

[Tx4obama]

A federal appeals court on Monday issued one of the most comprehensive rulings yet limiting police use of Tasers against low-level offenders who seem to pose little threat and may be mentally ill.
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/251/story/81381.html

[indepat]

1. This ruling is a long time coming considering the rampant and surreptitious

use of this sometimes-lethal weapon. :P

[LiberalFighter]

2. The officer was not in danger yet he tazed the guy.

If the officer can't deal with confrontation and know the difference between odd behavior and lunging at him then he needs to get out of the law enforcement field.

I wonder how many officers taze someone because they are belligerent but don't exhibit behavior that poses a danger to the officer?

I seriously doubt that the officer couldn't call for backup and be there within 5 minutes (in the city). I called 911 yesterday to report discovering my neighbor's body on her porch. Within 5 minutes or so there were 2 city police vehicles and a county police. About 5 minutes a fire truck then an ambulance. Later another city police and a coroner. Beat the hell out of me why the fire truck showed up.

[vadawg]

3. help is only five minutes away, have you ever had to fight someone for 5 minutes

its not as easy as it sounds.... what about officers who dont have backup within 20 mins or 30 mins do they get an exception.....

[joeunderdog]

5. Did you read the article? Nothing is said about fighting for 5-30 minutes.

It says that as a means to stop bizarre behavior quickly or to defend against a non-threatening person who may be approaching, tasers are excessive force.

Seems reasonable to me.

[vadawg]

6. did you read the post i was replying to,

[LiberalFighter]

7. The officer was not fighting the guy. The guy was making weird moves.

A trained officer should be able to make an assessment of the situation and determine if they need backup. If they aren't capable of that then they shouldn't be in law enforcement.

Here is why I make that statement.

An excerpt from the article.

During his second traffic stop in Coronado, he got out of the car. He was "agitated … yelling gibberish and hitting his thighs, clad only in his boxer shorts and tennis shoes" but did not threaten the officer verbally or physically, the judges wrote.

That's when Coronado Police Officer Brian McPherson, who was standing about 20 feet away watching Bryan's "bizarre tantrum," fired his Taser, the court said.

The man was agitated. Did not threaten the officer verbally or physically.

The officer was 20 feet away from the man.


A trained officer should also be able to manage the situation so they have backup when needed. They are suppose to be trained to handle crisis periods. The officer was not in danger at the point he tazed the man. He was just plain lazy and didn't want to take the time to do his job.

[vadawg]

9. once again i wasnt replying to the article just the 5 mins statement in the post

[LiberalFighter]

10. I suppose you know from experience that 5 minutes is unreasonable time in many cases.

I seriously doubt it.

[vadawg]

11. yeah i know from experience, 5 mins fighting someone is a long time

ive seen it take as long as 40 mins to get a state trooper to back up a deputy sometimes, even seen deputies from other counties cross the line, unless you live in a big urban area 5 minutes is a miracle and even in some urban areas its going to take longer...

[LiberalFighter]

12. It appears that you don't comprehend the timeline of events.

And you apparently don't think a trained officer can make a good assessment of the situation and realize that they need backup.

You apparently don't think a trained officer can control the situation long enough for backup to arrive.

And it appears that you think an officer should be able to use any force available to subdue anyone for any reason.

[vadawg]

13. and it seems you dont comprehend that i was replying to the post in regards to only waiting 5 mins

for backup, you apparentlydont know how quickly something can go pear shaped, thats why there is no such thing as a routine traffic stop or domestic violence call, you obviously have never been in the situation where a fight just occurs and you have to fight single handed for any length of time... trust me i have a lot more experience of fighting someone on a quiet country road hoping that backup is arriving soon... well im going off on patrol now so i wont see your reply but im sure it will reference the original article again..

[blondeatlast]

4. Ninthe Circuit--so Sherriff Joe Arpaio--that means it applies to YOUR

gang.

Good; I'd love to see him hissy about it.

[Tx4obama]

8. Good catch! n/t