The old adage says “laws were made to be broken.” That may be true. Chances are that there are no perfect laws and that there are always or often exceptions to the rule. However, when it comes to law enforcement, beware. If you break the law or fail to follow the rules, there will definitely be consequences.I’m not talking here about just the usual crimes and criminal activity. I’m talking about obeying and cooperating with law enforcement officials (even when you are innocent of wrongdoing or do not understand what is going on). If you do not comply with law enforcement officers (it doesn’t matter if you are guilty of a crime or if there is a problem of mistaken identity, etc.), and if you resist arrest and obstruct justice (in the minds of the law), then you will be punished by handcuffing, jail time, fines, a criminal record, and now even the deadly TASER!
Here are three recent examples of what might be considered overzealous police. In neither case was a crime committed, and the police did not give the respondents any reasonable cause to arrest them or Taser them. They should have explained what was going on, given the “suspects” a chance to respond, and possibly things would have gone much smoother. But either way, it is obvious from these stories and clips that the alleged suspects (whoever they might be—even you or me) should comply with police officers in every way possible, unless we want to experience the consequences, which can even include being Tasered.
Cases like the ones that follow also make one wonder if Taser use is being abused. Also how can Tasers be considered non-lethal when so many people have died as a result of their use. It is obvious that Tasers should only be used as a last resort (and not as a first result).
CASE #1
The first case here is of mistaken identity in Madison, Wisconsin after a 9-1-1 call reported a man being in a shopping mall with a gun (and it could have been a crank call). This was on Christmas Eve (this year). The officers found a man who supposedly fit the description, and when he did not cooperate, they Tasered him. Here is a link to the news article:
Christmas shopping horror: Man, wife blasted by Taser. Officers zap couple at mall after anonymous 9-1-1 call
http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=59382
Police use Taser on man at West Towne Mall
http://www.madison.com/wsj/mad/top/index.php?ntid=263847
Man Tasered at West Towne Mall
http://wkow.madison.com/News/index.php?ID=17699
CASE #2
Here is another Taser case that happened on September 17, 2007 at a speech given by John Kerry at the University of Florida. University of Florida student Andrew Meyer is Tasered and arrested after causing a disturbance at a town hall forum, which featured Senator John Kerry, at the UF Auditorium on Sept. 17, 2007. He asked Senator Kerry about voter suppression and then if he was a member of the Skull and Bones society. Then he was apprehended and Tasered. In other words, “Was it something I said?” This incident gave rise to the statement, “Don’t Tase me, bro!”
Here are links to two YouTube videos plus some news reports.
University of Florida student Tasered at Kerry forum (YouTube video 2:23 mins.)
http://youtube.com/watch?v=6bVa6jn4rpE
Student Tasered for asking Sen. Kerry about voter suppression (YouTube video 2:55 mins.)
http://youtube.com/watch?v=tCBcOQkUNjI
UF student Tasered at Kerry forum
http://www.alligator.org/articles/2007/09/18/news/campus/arrest.txt
Florida: Police Use Taser On Student at Forum (New York Times 9/19/2007)
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9400E3DA123AF93AA2575AC0A9619C8B63
Florida: Probation for Student in Taser Case (New York Times 10/31/2007)
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/31/us/31brfs-PROBATIONFOR_BRF.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
CASE #3
Here is another case from Utah where once again, a law enforcement officer has blasted an unarmed, non-threatening civilian with an electro-shock weapon—with little or no provocation. Tasers were supposed to be a less-lethal substitute for guns—not a tool for frying people into compliance, when a cop chooses not to use a strong word or a strong arm. It is obvious there are cases of Taser abuse coming to light.
More Taser Abuse: Blasted for Fighting a Ticket
http://blog.wired.com/defense/2007/11/more-Taser-abus.html
Utah Highway Patrol camera, shows jared massey being tasered
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NH_qVJfaYZA&NR=1
Speeding Ticket Taser (YouTube video 9:58 mins.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMaMYL_shxc
CNN Interview:
http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/2007/11/23/intv.tasered.speeder.speaks.cnn
CBS Early Show Interview:
http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/i_video/main500251.shtml?id=3533816n
Fox News:
Fox News story
The moral of the story? Don’t “resist” an officer in the performance of his duties—it’s illegal! (And don’t ask a politician if he is a member of Skull and Bones.)
If the police tell you to do something … do it. You can tell your story after the situation is under control. The worst thing you can do is to argue or fight with them, because if you do, chances are a Taser will come out and it will be used. In the meantime something has to be done to stop Taser abuse.
A FEW OTHER TASER REFERENCES:
More police Taser abuse
http://www.madison.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=33320
A man is suing the police after they Tasered him and shot him with a beanbag gun for videotaping a warrantless police search
http://www.madison.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=33299
Portland man sues police (video :27 seconds)
http://www.brightcove.tv/title.jsp?title=1243494890
Suspect dies after police hit him with two shots from a stun gun
http://www.projo.com/news/content/projo_20060822_woon22.322bfc2.html
Taser Death at Vancouver Airport
http://www.madison.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=34126
Officer’s Taser Use Inappropriate
http://www.madison.com/archives/read.php?ref=/tct/2005/02/15/0502150065.php
A MAN in a diabetic coma was shot with a Taser gun by cops — because they feared he was a suicide bomber
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article472087.ece
Suit Filed On Use Of Taser
http://www.madison.com/archives/read.php?ref=/wsj/2007/01/12/0701120040.php
Video: Stun Gun Abuse (includes video of man being tasered in a holding cell)
http://blog.wired.com/defense/2007/04/video_stun_gun_.html
Handcuffed suspect being tasered by officer in holding cell (LiveLeak video (1:29 mins.)
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=cb4_1176415265
Police use ‘Stun Gun’ on suspect while booking him at police station (LiveLeak video 5:35 mins.)
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=eb6_1198220550
A Village of Sheffield, Ohio police officer has been fired, for using his taser gun on a woman in custody. (LiveLeak video :31 mins.)
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=9d03698b5f
Complaints on cops up 23%
http://www.denverpost.com/search/ci_5438272
New South Wales Investigating how Tasers are used
http://www.taserwatch.org/2007/12/26/nsw-investigating-how-tasers-are-used/
Tasered in Spokane, Washington State
http://www.taserwatch.org/2007/12/26/tasered-in-spokane-washington-state/
Power Crazed in Pittsburgh, PA
http://www.taserwatch.org/2007/12/26/power-crazed-in-pittsburgh-pa/
17 Year Old Tasered by Ottawa Police
http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=ec0a922a-8429-4430-b031-0a7a8d4f8247
Taser Goes Pink (C2 version of Taser is marketed to women [and moms?])
http://blog.wired.com/defense/2007/07/taser-goes-pink.html
A great gift you should not get your wife
http://www.owngeek.com/wiki/index.php?title=Perfect_gift_for_the_Wife
STAT: Stop Taser Abuse Today (Learn—Report—Act)
http://stopTasers.org/
TaserAbuse.com
http://www.Taserabuse.com/Taser/
SEE THE MAIN SITE OF GLENN GOHR’S WEBLOG:
http://glenngohr.wordpress.com
I would be remiss if I didn’t say “DON’T TASE ME, BRO”
american cops are all douchebags. maybe they are douchebags everywhere but at least ’round here they don’t have tasers
The moral of the story? Don’t resist? That’s some great FUD, who’s paying you?