02-12-2008, 06:25 AM
I'd rather be tackled than tazered. At least then I have a chance to fight back.;)'Course, then they get to book me on resisting arrest AND assaulting an officer.:D
Seriously, nothing she did in my mind warrants getting tazered. She didn't assault the cop, she didn't make any hostile moves, all she did was back away and stay out of reach, nothing more. There's NO reason the cop couldn't have held her ground, instead of constantly pushing towards her. Have someone block the entrance and keep her talking. The whole situation could have been resolved diplomatically. Seriously, cops need a lesson in negotiations if their first instinct is to tazer anyone who doesn't drop to the ground in the fetal position at the mention of their authority.:P
As for the credit card, DeeBye machines, just like people, are not infallible. They make mistakes. I've seen cards get declined one minute only to be accepted the next, without any change in procedure. Mistakes happen. It's not unheard of. Clearly you've never worked retail before.;)I have, for more than a few years, and as both a consumer and a worker my sympathies go with the woman.
I hope that cop at least seriously reconsiders her actions, regardless of whether any disciplinary action is filed. It's one thing if you're taking down someone who's trying to beat you off. It's another to take down a distraught mother who's worrying about her child and is only SUSPECTED of possessing a stolen credit card. Last I checked, theft wasn't tazer-worthy. Assault is. WORLD of difference. There's a reason cops can't shoot civilians without life-threatening circumstances. Those same principles should be applied to the use of tazers, adjusted accordingly.
Seriously, nothing she did in my mind warrants getting tazered. She didn't assault the cop, she didn't make any hostile moves, all she did was back away and stay out of reach, nothing more. There's NO reason the cop couldn't have held her ground, instead of constantly pushing towards her. Have someone block the entrance and keep her talking. The whole situation could have been resolved diplomatically. Seriously, cops need a lesson in negotiations if their first instinct is to tazer anyone who doesn't drop to the ground in the fetal position at the mention of their authority.:P
As for the credit card, DeeBye machines, just like people, are not infallible. They make mistakes. I've seen cards get declined one minute only to be accepted the next, without any change in procedure. Mistakes happen. It's not unheard of. Clearly you've never worked retail before.;)I have, for more than a few years, and as both a consumer and a worker my sympathies go with the woman.
I hope that cop at least seriously reconsiders her actions, regardless of whether any disciplinary action is filed. It's one thing if you're taking down someone who's trying to beat you off. It's another to take down a distraught mother who's worrying about her child and is only SUSPECTED of possessing a stolen credit card. Last I checked, theft wasn't tazer-worthy. Assault is. WORLD of difference. There's a reason cops can't shoot civilians without life-threatening circumstances. Those same principles should be applied to the use of tazers, adjusted accordingly.
Roland *The Gunslinger*