UF Student Tasered at Kerry Speech

[ThisElfRocksHard]

I would have hit him with the taser a lot sooner than they did.
Yes there were 6 cops there, but the same people you are reading who are spouting off with the "bad cop" crap would have been really mouthing off if those 6 cops would have pounded him into a pulp until he limply rolled over to be cuffed.
Before people start jumping on the bash-a-cop bandwagon you need to look at all sides of an issue. Next person who wants to mouth off about how it took 6 cops to put someone in cuffs, try it yourself. YOU actually try to get something as small as a set of cuffs on someone who is jacked up on adrenalin and squirming all over the place. DO THAT WHILE TRYING NOT TO HURT THE *****!
And for the record, the guy was NOT in restraints when he was hit with the taser. He was placed in restraints after realizing that electricity hurts like hell and didnt want to play anymore. The word "OW" is alot nicer sounding than the unmistakable sound of breaking bone or teeth hitting the floor.

I respect your opinion, but I see articles like this: 70 Deaths After Use Of Stun Gun Lead To Questions Over Its Safety
and I am wondering if this technology has been tested adequately. On the one hand, a little electric jolt might seem preferable to a beating, but on the other, if someone has cardiac arrythmia (a condition a law enforcement officer is regrettably unlikely to be aware of), the use of the taser could effectively be a death sentence.

[juneau]

There was alot more to the story than what is shown in the video. He was allowed to be heard (not that he should have been anyways. Time and place for everything.) When he started criticizing and pushing out accusations, it was time for him to be escorted out by the police. He could have been charged with disorderly conduct from the start, but they tried to let it slide. When they tried to usher him from the hall and he started pulling away shouting all that crap he stepped into resisting.
I would have hit him with the taser a lot sooner than they did.
Yes there were 6 cops there, but the same people you are reading who are spouting off with the "bad cop" crap would have been really mouthing off if those 6 cops would have pounded him into a pulp until he limply rolled over to be cuffed.
Before people start jumping on the bash-a-cop bandwagon you need to look at all sides of an issue. Next person who wants to mouth off about how it took 6 cops to put someone in cuffs, try it yourself. YOU actually try to get something as small as a set of cuffs on someone who is jacked up on adrenalin and squirming all over the place. DO THAT WHILE TRYING NOT TO HURT THE PRICK!
And for the record, the guy was NOT in restraints when he was hit with the taser. He was placed in restraints after realizing that electricity hurts like hell and didnt want to play anymore. The word "OW" is alot nicer sounding than the unmistakable sound of breaking bone or teeth hitting the floor.
Sorry for the rant but people have no idea how sick I am of hearing/reading Bad cop this or bad cop that. I have been in Law Enforcement for 11 years now and I hear this kind of crap almost every night. It always comes down to being a bad cop until it is you that is getting jacked by someone or becomes a victim. Then when a cop comes and busts his ass for you, it's "that cop was cool man! That idiot won't be bothering me anymore." Give me a break.
There has been more than one time that I have seen someone getting jacked after mouthing off to me only a few days before. I will be honest, there was a second or two that my mind was telling me to let his ass get stomped and let him see me watching it happen. I bet he will have lots to bash me about next week when he can walk again. Do I actually let it happen? No. I put myself in harms way to keep him from taking a bus ride to the E.R. Why? Because it is my job, and because contrary to popular belief from all the bashers out there, we actually do give a damn.

No offense but i've seen two of our cops take down a guy bigger than that and get him cuffed. All without the use of a taser. Don't get me wrong though. I'm not bashing the cops or the use of tasers, but it seems that tasers are being too frequently used as the easy option.

I would still like to see a full video if anybody can post some links.

[Thrashdragon]

Fair enough. Although I think this is more of a case of what constitutes resisting arrest (I keep finding things for Missouri, nothing for Florida), rather than the use of the taser specifically.

There's always room left to leave a lot left up to the officer's judgment. Sometimes that is a bad thing, but if you make too many rules/laws then officers will be afraid to take any action without checking with their entire chain of command, and people will get hurt. In the end, the situation was resolved and no one was injured, and that's what is important.

I think the benefits of using a taser to immediately take down 99.9% of subjects in a safe manner far outweigh the potential danger of accidentally triggering a heart attack in a junkie. Seems to me that if you have a heart problem, maybe you should be a little more inclined to not resist arrest.

[L_Mo]

No offense but i've seen two of our cops take down a guy bigger than that and get him cuffed. All without the use of a taser. Don't get me wrong though. I'm not bashing the cops or the use of tasers, but it seems that tasers are being too frequently used as the easy option.

I don't disagree that using a taser is easier than physically wrestling them to the ground, but that's not the safest option. Those two cops could have made a mistake, or the big guy could have pulled a move and taken the cops down.

I'm quite liberal, but in my book if a cop says "If you keep resisting, I'm going to taser you" then the use of a taser is justified. As far as I know there are no long term effects, it just hurts... I'd rather see someone get shocked than hit in the face.

Now, I can't comment on the safety... If there have been deaths due to taser use obviously that needs to be investigated. If there -is- a chance of death.. well.. in that case I'd rather see someone get hit in the face than die...

[mapes]

Lets just say I don't know what to think.

I will state in all and I do mean all interactions with people who are armed with lethal and non-lethal weapons my movements and demeanor are non confrontational. If I'm in a car and I'm pulled over I actually roll down the drivers windows and stick my hands out of the window. If I'm on a bike I take off my helmet and pull the the key outta the ignition. You'd be surprised how many times I've been let go from speed infractions.....

[WhIsKyTaNgO1]

All a cop has to do is yell, "Stop Resisting!!!" and he is clear to tase

[WhIsKyTaNgO1]

follow up,, In South Bend, Indiana an elderly man was tased for non compliance, he had Alhzheimers

[juneau]

follow up,, In South Bend, Indiana an elderly man was tased for non compliance, he had Alhzheimers

Ridiculous!

[TheSilentAssassin]

When I saw the report, witnesses were saying the dude was already on his stomach and cuffed when they zapped him. If so, he's going to make himself a lot of money.

-Rand

Just watched that...possible case of police brutality (again) ?

[unorignal]

When I saw the report, witnesses were saying the dude was already on his stomach and cuffed when they zapped him. If so, he's going to make himself a lot of money.

-Rand

Just watched that...possible case of police brutality (again) ?

For resisting arrest?

[thedeadlyassassin]

I don't find it disgusting, but I find it very unneccisary. There was no need to Tase the guy, they seemed to have him under control. I heard someone yelling "police brutality!" after the tase, and I'd have to agree with that. There was no need for him to be tased, and if a cop has the right to tase someone after "demanding" permission by saying it to the person, that is wrong.

Police have too much power. I myself fear the police more then I feel protected by them.


I heard a story of a police officer that shot and killed a 6 year old kid wielding a squirt gun in the dark. Are you serious? You think a person of that size (it was a normal 6 year old kid, height, weight, everything seemed right) would be walking around town with an assualt rifle? Or has that cop been playing too much doom and he thought it was a BFG?

I also was watching Cops awhile back. A man was being racists to a Mexican restraurant manager, and was yelling at many Mexican people at the restaurant.

Yes, racism is wrong, but how is power slamming the guy off his feet by the throat better then arresting him for resisting arrest (he refused to put his hands out his pockets, which he obviously had NO weapon in, half hand in half out) by grabbing his arms and forcing them behind his back.

I don't want to offend anyone that is a police officer here, but I personally hate cops

[lady-MGS]

I will admit that I live in a sheltered town. Not many things happen here but I still am beyond thankful that I have the protection of our sheriff's office.

If you can say that that was police brutality when the guy goes charging to the stage and they acted the way they did is wrong, then that's messed up. If the officers wouldn't have reacted at all and the guy had a gun and shot Kerry or went on some shooting spree, then everyone would be going after those officers for not doing there job.

They are damned if they do and damned if they don't. There's no winning in that occupation.

I feel like a dumb a** for asking AlleyViper to put his 2 cents in because he is one who risks his life everyday to help keep us protected. I will still say Thank You.


I am also with TD.. If you have a heart problem or any other problem that could make being arrested being hazardous to your health, then what the heck are you getting in trouble for?

[ThisElfRocksHard]

I think the benefits of using a taser to immediately take down 99.9% of subjects in a safe manner far outweigh the potential danger of accidentally triggering a heart attack in a junkie. Seems to me that if you have a heart problem, maybe you should be a little more inclined to not resist arrest.

This is where we are going to disagree forever. I don't care if you change your statement to include 99.99999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999 99999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999 9% of subjects in a safe manner. The problem is that the penalty for resisting arrest should never be death. Also, your final statement, "if you have a heart problem, maybe you should be a little more inclined to not resist arrest" looks like sound advice--but what if you have an unknown heart problem? I don't think I have heart arrythmia, but to be honest, if you stuck a gun (or a taser ) to my head, I couldn't honestly tell you.

[ThisElfRocksHard]

If you can say that that was police brutality when the guy goes charging to the stage and they acted the way they did is wrong, then that's messed up.

I have been looking at this video for awhile, and I can't see how he is "charging the stage". The only time he is advancing towards the stage is 27 seconds into the video, where he has his back to the stage and gets momentarily free from the police and raises his hands (after which he is clearly restrained by the officers). Keep in mind, it is REAL easy to look at this after the fact and make judgements about the officers' conduct, but it still seems to me that the tasering was unneccesary and cruel.

[baconoclock]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasnt the taser toted as a less-than-lethal weapon? I thought it was supposed to be used in situations where officers whould normally have had to use their service weapon in defense?

It seems to me that the taser is the new Cap. spray...