02-12-2008, 03:31 PM
Quote: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
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.
Playing devil's advocate: she was resisting arrest. Period. At the point the LEO is attempting to take her into custody and she resists he is allowed to use force (up to and including deadly force if warranted) to take her into custody. Her excuse really doesn't factor into the equation. You can't resist arrest just because you have a personal problem to take care of. Plus how is the LEO supposed to know if the "distraught mother" is legit or not? What if she really had a stolen credit card and was using a fake phone call to get out of the situation where she got called on it?
What do you really expect the LEO to do in that situation? For the LEO it's really a no win situation-if he tases her he gets beat down for that; if he jumps on her and cuffs her he gets beat down for that; if he pepper sprays her he gets beat down for that as well. The taser was probably the least damaging option he had to subdue her and take her into custody.
LEOs have the crappiest job on the planet and they get little to no thanks for it. And it's not helped by people who are not on the scene second guessing what SHOULD have happened after the fact. Do LEOs make mistakes? Absolutely. However, when you have to make decissions without knowing all the facts in advance, on a moments notice I can't really blame them. It's easy to judge after the fact.....
W<