From the Police Brutality Blog, yet another incident of law enforcement’s use of the Taser as a first resort, even when the number of cops outnumber the unarmed “suspect,” or there is no imminent threat of violence.
Take this incident in Seattle, Washington, where a man was pepper-sprayed and tased from behind by police after he was already subdued and on his hands and knees. The video is here. Via KOMO 4 News:
Francis L. Holland of the Police Brutality Blog and Tasered While Black:
It is also clear from this video that the police pointed a Taser gun at a Black woman who was holding a cup of coffee in her hand while attempting to observe what police were doing. They continued to point the Taser gun at her until they had backed her up some twenty yards from a man who appears to be a relative of hers. (In this video, it appears that they Taser may have a red light on it, like a gun, that indicates where it is being pointed.)People can watch the video and say “but the guy was running…”. Well, yes he was, but he wasn’t tased until he was already restrained, on his hand and knees and surrounded by cops. As Francis also noted, It is not appropriate to taser people “for good measure” who are already compliant. Just because the man was running at some point in the recent past doesn’t mean that police should Taser him at any and all points in the near future. A taser is to immobilize, period. People who are already immobilized ought never be tasered.It really doesn’t matter how this incident started. It doesn’t matter if the arrested Black man had an arrest or conviction record. It doesn’t matter if he cheated at Bingo in second grade. It is simply unnecessary as a matter of police and public safety, and morally wrong, to taser people who are on their hands and knees. This constitutes torture and it has to be stopped.
No doubt this sort of outlandish use of this law enforcement tool continues unabated, and not only in the U.S. These next items of madness were collected by Dan Caprine and Hob at the must-read Taser of the Day blog. It’s sad that this is a growth area for that site; there’s never a lack of incidents to report — and a few are below the fold.
A Daytona Beach patron in Best Buy was tased for “rude behavior”. In this video, she is backing away from the officer when he lets loose 50,000 volts into the woman. She was arrested for resisting arrest and disorderly conduct.
* Naked Man Brings Concert To Early Close After Being Tasered In Ass. Apparently exposed butt cracks are extremely dangerous and require the sadistic use of a Taser.
In a report police are required to prepare after deploying their Tasers, Officer Claudia Wright said she used her weapon on [Elizabeth] Beeland because the woman was “verbally profane, abusive, loud and irate.” Beeland pointed her finger “towards my face” and was waving her arms, the officer wrote.According to an American Civil Liberties Union representative in Orlando, yelling at a police officer and even cussing one out is constitutionally protected speech.
A Washington University show by mash-up DJ “Girl Talk,” known for stripping down to his boxers and letting people dance on the stage with him, ended early after one of the concert-goers stripped naked and was butt-TASER®ed for refusing to put his pants back on.* In an update to last summer’s outrageous incident of unprovoked Taser terror, a former NYPD lieutenant’s son, Alexander Lombard III, is suing the city after being tased four times at a community barbecue, beaten 15 times with a nightstick and choked. This occurred when a fight between two girls broke out, and officers responded. Lombard was trying to get away from the fracas when police decided to let loose on him.
Lombard’s father said his son was trying to get away from the melee, which started when two girls got into a fight and someone threw something at a police officer.The NYPD, in its report, claimed Lombard was only shot in the ankle, which was obviously ridiculous given the photographic evidence, and charged Lombard with disorderly conduct, but the summons was dropped. I see a settlement coming Lombard’s way.The teen was zapped with the Taser on the rib cage, face, neck and shoulder, beaten with a nightstick and put in a choke hold, both the father and son say. The elder Lombard has photographs that he says prove his son was shocked multiple times with a Taser.
Here is a compilation video of more out-of-control taser incidents - some of these images are extremely disturbing. It is set to David Bowie’s “This is not America.”
Related:
* Taser sadism on tape
* More out-of-control tasing - Ohio
* Police taser parties
45 Responses to “Out of control tasing continues”
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Who needs para-military death squads to keep the population in line? We’ve got the regular police department for that.
Watching that, it occurred to me that tasers were billed as an alternative to deadly force.
And in none of those cases would an officer have been justified in pulling their gun, let alone shooting the person.
Every single one of those officers in those videos actually seemed to enjoy what they were doing to another human being. Absolutely sick. That one that actually followed the woman around as she was writhing in pain and attempting to crawl away from him…well, that’s one seriously sick MF.
Thugs with badges.
Police State? We’re soaking in it…
Abu Graib, Guantanamo, extraordinary rendition, “better watch what you say” - all these things set a tone from the top.
The police have always had an “Us against Them” attitude, and it’s been accelerating in recent years as the pervasive Fear of Terror, Fear of Other, Fear of Non-Conformity sub-currents in American society keep rolling on out of control.
Arrests/threats/firings of people wearing the “wrong” tee-shirt, or having the “wrong” stickers on their bumper, or expressing the “wrong” opinion continue unabated.
Torture, once unthinkable except as an inhumane (and punishable) crime performed against innocent American soldiers, is now talked about as a “necessary” and “important” tool in our arsenal of “freedom”, with various politicians falling over themselves to describe how often, and under what expanded circumstances it is “legitimate” for Americans to use on our “enemies”.
No wonder some officers have decided the Taser is just another tool of enforcement (enforcement defined as “do what I want or else” - civil rights be damned…).
When did we switch from looking at the evil practices of dictators and repressive governments in disgust, to admiring them and incorporating their practices into our Standard Operating Procedures?
When did we turn into everything we fought against for the last 230-years?
What in the hell happened to the country I was born and raised in?
I’m gonna go vomit…
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22507292/
And look; now anyone can have a Taser- who needs a stinkin’ badge? And in pink, too… how cute.
Even though TASER® likes to bill their weapon as an ‘alternative to lethal force’, every police department views it as just another tool of control, akin to pepper spray, nightsticks, and choke holds. In fact, in the cases where deadly force is justified, police rarely if ever draw their TASER®s instead of their firearms.
Our local paper had a quick blip yesterday in the Police Log of a mentally ill man being Tasered in the ER. Funny; I used to draw blood from handcuffed dangerous folks, some mentally ill and some hopped up on drugs or alcohol, in that same ER- hospital security and Augusta police a decade ago were capable of subduing them. Now they can’t, and are relying on Tasers. Great.
Cue the usual trolls…
Cue the usual trolls…
Can I get a cookie.
Whatever happened to DE-escalating a situation instead of making it worse?
What exactly IS the current “innocent civilian victims of no-knock SWAT raid/warrants — that happen to be executed at the wrong house” body count lately?
Jeff, thanks for that great intro….now stick it where the sun dont shine……(which I am sure you do on a regular basis) I dont see a thing wrong with the first video. I would have done the same thing if I was there. Just curious when can I meet any of you down at city hall to turn in an application to be a police officer? On second thought dont show up, I wouldnt want to work on the streets with any of you!
Oh, Jeff’s troll showed up first! (pout)
“Whatever happened to DE-escalating a situation instead of making it worse?”
I think it’s been replaced with the “need” to set a tone of compliance. Getting the target to submit, to follow commands, no matter if germane - those are the most important aspects of an officer/citizen encounter.
Not to mention that de-escalation is inherently less “manly” than aggressive action, no matter how inappropriate…
“Just curious when can I meet any of you down at city hall to turn in an application to be a police officer?”
cookie, didn’t you actually mean to say, “Just curious when can I meet any of you down at city hall
to turn in an application to be a police officerand taze your hippie ass to show you who’s boss?”…Ah, and the flood of authoritarian father-knob-gobblers has already begun. They figure if they ingratiate themselves by telling us reasonable people off, they won’t get punished as much when their masters inevitably find something to punish them for.
Authoritarian is just a kind word for traitor.
cookie..die.
OT, there was a mention in our local paper yesterday of police Tasering a known mentally ill man in the ER. The mental intitute is less than a 1/2 mile away and folks routinely go in there for medication checks or when they are in crisis. I worked in that hospital for a time over a decade ago and drew blood from many people in custody with security and/or police there in the room.
Late one night, I had to draw a huge, very muscular man in 4 way handcuffs (to the gurney) who threatened to kill me if I touched him. I drew the necessary samples via butterfly needle in the ankle, so he couldn’t headbutt, spit or bite me.
Funny how hospital security and Augusta police could handle THAT situation without Tasers, huh?
It’s not “out of control tasing”, it’s “out of control policing”. The taser isn’t the problem, it’s the assholes who use it when it’s uncalled for.
I’m sorry to say it, but one of these days someone’s going to witness an incident like this and be watching from a gunscope instead of a videocamera monitor. Maybe a few policemen’s heads turning into pink clouds will cause some of them to rethink these tactics. They’ve proven unable to police themselves, so who else will?
I hate having these thoughts. But I hate tyranny even more. Police brutality is never justified. Their job is to bring people to justice, not administer it. Someday they’ll get reminded of it. A civil suit here and a suspension there isn’t going to do it. What will?
Fun video. I’d have used ‘I’m afraid of Americans’, though.
Officer Claudia Wright said she used her weapon on [Elizabeth] Beeland because the woman was “verbally profane, abusive, loud and irate.” Beeland pointed her finger “towards my face” and was waving her arms, the officer wrote.
She wasn’t showing the proper fawnig respect to her state sanctioned overlord, so naturally she had to be punished. Tell me again that “most cops are good cops”. Another isolated incident of police brutality.
I think it’s BECAUSE the taser is “non-lethal” that some police feel they can be freer with its use, despite any training they’ve had.
People who see no problems with this are the same pecker sniffers who have the “if you don’t have anything to HIDE, who do you care if the cops search you/arrest you with no probable cause?” mindsets.
This is why our civil liberties are in the shitter, and the Fed has its filthy claws on the flush.
Hate to break it to you, cookie dear, but there are those of us who read/contribute here who are LEOs or are closely related to them — and those same LEOs are just as horrified at this.
There’s nothing like a uniform to bring out the bully in someone.
Jon (#18) - I don’t think murderous fantasies are a good response. violence is the problem here.
“Maybe a few policemen’s heads turning into pink clouds will cause some of them to rethink these tactics.”
Not helpful at all. In fact, all the threat of this (let alone a real example) would accomplish is to amp the prevailing fear of the public to crazy heights.
Remember, it was bullshit talk about shooting in New Orleans during/after Katrina that gave “justification” for a lot of the hands-off attitude that police/fire/rescue/medical personnel had…
I’m not sure it’s a good response, either. It’s a lot of things: evil, appropriate, justifiable, deranged, sickening, inappropriate, correct, revolutionary, terroristic, and more. Would the result be good? Maybe, but probably not. But would it be nice if the police were actually worried about how their misdeeds would actually get punished? Hell yes.
It sounds like a good screenplay, but it’s a bad idea.
cookie - A fine example of our boys in blue. Public servants. Motto To Protect and Server To Harrass and Brutalize. Over here is an example of an unfortunately rare honorable cop.
What’s real;ly sad is that a moral, honest cop is a man bites dog story.
But would it be nice if the police were actually worried about how their misdeeds would actually get punished?
Punished? Don’t make me laugh. When every officer on the force will get up on the stand and perjure themselves to protect one of their “brothers” don’t expect a “whole lotta jusice goin’ on”.
Police brutality, corruption and civil rights violations are endemic in this country. Those that deny it are lying or unable to accurately perceive reality.
I’ll get that tag thingee right eventually, promise. It probably helps to read the preview provided, huh?
::eyeroll:: Oooo, the torture. In the Seattle incident, the suspect never even cried out. Seconds later he”s protesting to the cops while they frisk him. “I dint do nuthin”. Yup, that” outta control torture there.
BFD. How many of you have been on a “ride-along”? Been in a fight lately? A physical confrontation? Feh.
Oooooh, Eric ROM is SUCH a manly man!
I bet you’d just LOVE getting tazed yourself. But of course, you would never do anything “wrong”, so you think you’re immune from your own prescription. After all, “If you’ve done nothing wrong, you have nothing to fear,” right?
Except that the bar for “doing something wrong” keeps getting lower and lower.
Don’t worry, Eric. Out there somewhere is the cop who will taze you. He’ll think you deserved it (“He kept moving!”, “He didn’t obey my command!” “He looked funny!”), but you’ll disagree.
But by then, nobody else will be around to give a fuck about you…
Whew! These tasers would come in handy in my line of work. Instant control. I love it!
Oh I see. Obviously if we all did a ride-along/got in a confrontation/got in a fight, we’d all see the necessity and validity of tasering people who are all ready in restraints or tasering people for mouthing off.
Also obvious is the fact that if one suspect doesn’t act like they’re being tortured, then none of the people who’ve ever been tasered have been tortured or subjected to excessive force. The police have such a hard job we should forgive them or excuse them when they get a little too, shall we say enthusiastic, in the course of their duties. I mean seriously folks, are you suggesting that we hold people who have the ability to detain, search, arrest, incarcerate and utilize force against their fellow citizens up to the point of lethality to a higher standard of conduct?
Clearly this is a superior form of logic that we peons simply fail to understand because it’s a police thing.
Go ahead and continue the totemic sacrifice of others in the hopes that their fate won’t be yours, Eric. I’m sure it’ll work out just fine.
Eric: Ah, another Internet Tough Guy. Let’s see you get tased if you think it’s so minor, you fucking neanderthal.
I’m reminded of a psychologist who issued a cattle prod to an attendant at a group home for retarded adults, carefully explaining which members of the group were to be shocked and for which obnoxious behaviors.
The psychologist was concerned that the attendant would be reluctant to use the prod consistently enough to extinguish the behaviors, and sneaked back to check on him later that day.
The attendant was observed to be using the prod to herd the group into the dining room for lunch.
cookie: On second thought dont show up, I wouldnt want to work on the streets with any of you!
By “work on the street” are you talking about peddling your ass? Because you sure aren’t an actual police officer. You’re a teevee watcher, is what you are.
Clearly Tasers aren’t being used to subdue people who are resisting arrest or are a danger to the officer; they are being used as a means of control and abuse of power. Like the woman who was given 2 seconds to get out of her car before being Tased.
Kiernan, I have been putting on a uniform and badge for 14 years and putting up with dumbasses like you!
cookie, here’s an idea. If you can’t hack the job, if the stress of dealing with “dumbasses” is too much, if you can’t handle the idea that the people you’re supposed to serve and protect might actually want you held to a high standard of conduct, if you think you can pick and choose who among us are worthy of serving and protecting, find another fucking job. You and the rest of your comrades who think it’s a trial and a hardship to actually be expected to do your job without acting like you’re the knights of some landed noble, free to do as you will to those beneath you in station can quit fucking whining all the time and either find something less taxing to do with your time or perhaps move to another country where your enthusiasm for bullying ordinary citizens who don’t meet the status quo’s standards and your contempt for same will be more appreciated. Perhaps China or Saudi Arabia would be more to your liking, you can rest assured there’s not a lot of criminal-coddling there.
Skullhunter, thank you for saying that so well…
Cookie, I not only think you are lying about being police, I most frevrently hope you are. You seem the antithesis of everything an officer should be. I even remember you implying a rape threat in one of the first threads I saw you in, and wondered why you hadn’t been bunnied on the spot.
*sigh*
Skullhunter, Russia would be an excellent move full of opportunity, too. None of this silly fussing over human rights and stuff.
Check out how you can expect officers to treat you in the police station if they don’t like you. Or what happens if some bored OMON officers feel like a bit of fun (the voice at the end of the clip says to the man stumbling away Now say “I love the special forces”!
cookie, is that the way you think the U.S. (or, for that matter, any civilized country) should be heading?
Damn, I miss the bunnies- can we have one for old time’s sake? It’s been awhile…
“It’s not “out of control tasing”, it’s “out of control policing”. The taser isn’t the problem, it’s the assholes who use it when it’s uncalled for.”
Indeed. I’ve looked into some situations where they absolutely did save lives, such as a case where a the cops pull up to find a guy going after his wife with a butcher knife in the front yard. No taser, they shot him. But they were able to shock him and he lived through it. Now, he (at least claims) lingering health problems from it, but better for everyone in that situation that the cops had tasers, knew how to use them and did so correctly.
How many white people have been tased?
Interesting statistic, that. Attests the latent racism and de facto apartheid that persist in American society.
Eric, ROM. Just so you know, the last time I was in a physical confrontation was Friday morning. I had a client punch me in the face. This client was having a psychotic break and was also quite drunk. Another client came to my aid by restraining her until our security guards could arrive, and the security guards restrained her (without cuffs or weapons) until the police could arrive. She was escorted out of the building without further incident.
I have been extensively trained in violence prevention and management, and the situation above is the one situation that can never be prevented — someone suffering a full blown psychotic break doing random violence — but it can (and should) be handled without harming the perpetrator in any way.
So take your testosterone soaked balls away and go play with them somewhere else.