Who needs pepper spray or tasers if you are a cop in need of protection
yourself against a small Latino woman whom violently assaults you with
-- water (allegedly).
Tasers and pepper spray could bring unwarranted attention, at least from
blogs and twitter. Better to take that water like an man and then go
sucker punch the woman thug instead. Watch this video from the Puerto
Rican Day Parade in Philly over the weekend. Please note the size of
the woman in comparison to the size of the police officer who comes up
from behind her and delivers the kind of "illegal blow" from his fist
that the Marquis of Queensbury Rules don't permit in authorized matches
between professional boxers:
Excessive force anyone? Just remember this. Next time you are at a
parade, if you accidentally spill your soda on a cop, or god forbid,
brush up against him or her in a tight space, even without any intent to
do so, this could be you. Was the woman who "allegedly" tossed water
at the cop behaving badly? Sure. Did the police officer really need to
escalate the situation by punching her in the face from behind as she
walked away causing her to bleed profusely, possibly giving her
concussion? He was after all (to my eyes anyway) roughly twice her
size, in weight class alone.
You tell me.
You tell me.
Read on....
Follow the link for video. Tom
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Showing posts with label excessive force. Show all posts
Showing posts with label excessive force. Show all posts
Study: Some Tasers Deliver Bigger Jolt Than Manufacturer Claims Raising Risk of Cardiac Arrest
A new study shows that some Taser stun guns can deliver a much bigger jolt of electricity than the manufacturer says is possible and could increase the risk of cardiac arrest by as much as half in some people.
The study done by researchers commissioned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. also concluded that even stun guns firing at expected electrical levels carry some risk of inducing cardiac arrest in some people.
The study was done by a Montreal biomedical engineer and doctors working for a U.S. defense contractor and examined 44 Taser stun guns obtained from seven undisclosed U.S. police agencies.
Taser International Inc., based in Scottsdale, called the study flawed.
Read on...
The media seems to have a fairly steady drumbeat about how bad Tasers are, but police departments seem to be more and more enamoured of them. Now we find out they don't even work properly. Tom
The study done by researchers commissioned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. also concluded that even stun guns firing at expected electrical levels carry some risk of inducing cardiac arrest in some people.
The study was done by a Montreal biomedical engineer and doctors working for a U.S. defense contractor and examined 44 Taser stun guns obtained from seven undisclosed U.S. police agencies.
Taser International Inc., based in Scottsdale, called the study flawed.
Read on...
The media seems to have a fairly steady drumbeat about how bad Tasers are, but police departments seem to be more and more enamoured of them. Now we find out they don't even work properly. Tom
Time to Zap the Taser
The Vancouver Provice Editorial
Canada all but abolished the death penalty in 1976. It still exists for special cases in the military, though it is never used.
The last legal execution in this country was 1962 in Toronto's Don Jail, when two men, shall we say, dropped into history. Between 1867 and 1962, 710 people were executed in Canada.
It is a point of pride for millions of Canadians that we no longer hang our citizens.
Read on...
Finally a major paper makes the obvious point. Tom
Canada all but abolished the death penalty in 1976. It still exists for special cases in the military, though it is never used.
The last legal execution in this country was 1962 in Toronto's Don Jail, when two men, shall we say, dropped into history. Between 1867 and 1962, 710 people were executed in Canada.
It is a point of pride for millions of Canadians that we no longer hang our citizens.
Read on...
Finally a major paper makes the obvious point. Tom
Family sues police claiming Taser raid on son
'I'm a good boy,' autistic man, 43, tells officers after they Taser him in bedroom, family alleges
Oct 07, 2008 04:30 AM Dale Anne Freed Staff Reporter
A 43-year-old physically and mentally disabled North York man and his family are suing several police officers, including members of the Emergency Task Force, and the Toronto Police Services Board for more than $9 million in damages after he was hit with a Taser in his bedroom.
According to the lawsuit filed in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, George Lochner was in his second-floor bedroom when emergency task force officers came looking for his brother Silvano, who was wanted for allegedly threatening to assault his neighbour with a sledgehammer.
I'm not obsessed with Tasers but it seems to me that the use of them is growing. And the situations they are used in seem to be more and more bizarre. What will it take for a more sensible Taser policy? This article hints at one possibility. Tom
Oct 07, 2008 04:30 AM Dale Anne Freed Staff Reporter
A 43-year-old physically and mentally disabled North York man and his family are suing several police officers, including members of the Emergency Task Force, and the Toronto Police Services Board for more than $9 million in damages after he was hit with a Taser in his bedroom.
According to the lawsuit filed in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, George Lochner was in his second-floor bedroom when emergency task force officers came looking for his brother Silvano, who was wanted for allegedly threatening to assault his neighbour with a sledgehammer.
I'm not obsessed with Tasers but it seems to me that the use of them is growing. And the situations they are used in seem to be more and more bizarre. What will it take for a more sensible Taser policy? This article hints at one possibility. Tom
Controversy Grows As Taser Expands Scope
by Andy Greenberg
Sitting idle, the Taser Shockwave looks like a waist-high rack of square green teeth. But press a button, and those teeth--six electrified cartridges tethered by 25-foot wires--shoot out in a 20-degree arc. Inch-long probes emitting 50,000 volts of electricity pierce through clothing and skin. If a human being is in their path, his or her muscles immediately flex and lock involuntarily.
Use Shockwave defensively to create a perimeter around rioters, as police demonstrated in a training exercise on California's Treasure Island earlier this month, and a mob of unruly individuals can be corralled into a corner. Or fire the device into a crowd, and several targets go down in a temporarily paralyzed heap.
Shockwave, set to be deployed sometime in 2009, is one of several powerful new "less-lethal" devices coming closer to being used in the real world, as opposed to just test situations. And it's not the only experimental toy soon to be sold by Phoenix-based Taser International. Other products being tested by the company include a taser shell that can be fired from any shotgun and a taser laminate film that can electrify the surface of a traditional riot shield.
Read on...
I guess a society that condons torture and war crimes can't get too worked up over a bit of excessive force by police departments. Tom
Sitting idle, the Taser Shockwave looks like a waist-high rack of square green teeth. But press a button, and those teeth--six electrified cartridges tethered by 25-foot wires--shoot out in a 20-degree arc. Inch-long probes emitting 50,000 volts of electricity pierce through clothing and skin. If a human being is in their path, his or her muscles immediately flex and lock involuntarily.
Use Shockwave defensively to create a perimeter around rioters, as police demonstrated in a training exercise on California's Treasure Island earlier this month, and a mob of unruly individuals can be corralled into a corner. Or fire the device into a crowd, and several targets go down in a temporarily paralyzed heap.
Shockwave, set to be deployed sometime in 2009, is one of several powerful new "less-lethal" devices coming closer to being used in the real world, as opposed to just test situations. And it's not the only experimental toy soon to be sold by Phoenix-based Taser International. Other products being tested by the company include a taser shell that can be fired from any shotgun and a taser laminate film that can electrify the surface of a traditional riot shield.
Read on...
I guess a society that condons torture and war crimes can't get too worked up over a bit of excessive force by police departments. Tom
Police Lieutenant in Taser Case Commits Suicide
By CHRISTINE HAUSER and SHARON OTTERMANPublished: October 2, 2008
A New York City police lieutenant who gave the order to fire a Taser stun gun at an emotionally disturbed man who then fell to his death in Brooklyn committed suicide early on Thursday, law enforcement officials said.
Lt. Michael W. Pigott, a 21-year veteran of the force, was found in a police locker room at a former airfield in Brooklyn, dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, said Paul Browne, the police department’s deputy commissioner for public information.
“On behalf of all of the members of the New York City Police Department, I extend deepest condolences to the family and friends of Lt. Michael W. Pigott who served with dedication for 21 years,” Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly said in a statement.
Read on...
And another one. Tom
A New York City police lieutenant who gave the order to fire a Taser stun gun at an emotionally disturbed man who then fell to his death in Brooklyn committed suicide early on Thursday, law enforcement officials said.
Lt. Michael W. Pigott, a 21-year veteran of the force, was found in a police locker room at a former airfield in Brooklyn, dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, said Paul Browne, the police department’s deputy commissioner for public information.
“On behalf of all of the members of the New York City Police Department, I extend deepest condolences to the family and friends of Lt. Michael W. Pigott who served with dedication for 21 years,” Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly said in a statement.
Read on...
And another one. Tom
B.C. man dies after being tasered by police
B.C. man dies after being tasered by police
JANE ARMSTRONG
From Wednesday's Globe and Mail
September 30, 2008 at 10:10 PM EDT
JANE ARMSTRONG
From Wednesday's Globe and Mail
September 30, 2008 at 10:10 PM EDT
VANCOUVER — A man has died after Mounties in the Vancouver suburb of Langley used a taser to subdue him after he jumped out of the window of a house.
Police said the man died en route to hospital Tuesday afternoon. Officers used the stun gun after they responded to reports that an armed bank robbery suspect was holed up in a Langley house.
RCMP Corporal Peter Thiessen told CTV news that shortly after police arrived at the house, the man smashed through the front window and landed on the ground. He was naked and bleeding from the chest. Earlier, shouts were heard from the house and police said there were reports that a woman was inside.
We've posted on this before: http://crimbrary.blogspot.com/2008/09/rcmp-didnt-study-taser-use-enough.html But it just keeps happening. Not sure what it will take to get Taser policy changed. Tom
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