Taser Abuse

Merry Christmas

noreply@blogger.com (Alan Howard) — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 10:21:00 +0000

I'm taking a break for a couple of weeks, travelling around the country visiting family, so I'd like to wish you all a great xmas and new year. Stay safe and look after yourselves.

Avoid those tasers!

FBI probes cop's use of taser during argument

noreply@blogger.com (Alan Howard) — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 07:40:00 +0000

A retired corrections officer is at the heart of a new federal investigation of alleged police brutality in Westchester after he claims he was victim of excessive force that include repeated use of a taser.

"He was kicked in the head when he was handcuffed. He was tased about his body. This is a man who came down here just to speak to somebody," said Francis Young, Gomez's attorney.

Sources say the FBI investigation is open-ended and is directed toward a possible violation of suspects' civil rights.

Be careful if your daughter is dating a cop. Don't piss him off, or you just might be tortured and assaulted by the fine, upstanding officer...

http://wcbstv.com/watercooler/

Police fired taser into head of innocent man

noreply@blogger.com (Alan Howard) — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 07:29:00 +0000

Police fired a 50,000-volt Taser into the head of a 45-year-old company director who later proved to be unarmed and innocent. Daniel Sylvester, the owner of an east London security firm employing 65 staff to guard council offices, pubs and nightclubs, was driving home on October 20 when he was stopped by armed police because of "firearms related intelligence".

According to Sylvester, he got out of his car and was surrounded by officers, at least two of whom were carrying automatic weapons. Without warning, one officer fired a Taser into the back of his head which made him drop to his knees, he said. A second shock caused him to fall on his face, breaking a front tooth. A further six shocks made him wet himself and left him lying in the road in pain while the officers and sniffer dogs searched the car and found nothing.

But wait...

Tasers have been used 47 times in London this year, with black people accounting for almost two-thirds of those stunned.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/

Tasers don't reduce shootings

noreply@blogger.com (Alan Howard) — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 07:22:00 +0000

Despite claims by politicians and some police officers that Tasers would save lives by preventing shootings, the devices that are being used by a growing number of police forces were never meant as an alternative to guns, experts say.

Numbers in many other jurisdictions are hard to come by. The RCMP, whose members have fired Tasers more than 3,000 times since 2001, said it doesn't keep track of how often firearms are used across the country.

Let me get this straight... They keep track of how many times they use a 'non-lethal' device, but they don't keep track of how many times they use guns? Either they're incompetent or they're lying.

"In 99.7 per cent of Taser uses, there are no injuries. When you compare that to a baton use, the statistical likelihood of injuries from a Taser deployment are much less."

But there's a big difference between injuries and deaths. How many people died due to baton use, compared to how many die due to taser use? That's what should be looked at.

Which self-defence product is best for you?

noreply@blogger.com (Alan Howard) — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 07:16:00 +0000

When it comes to a self-defense product, some women have a difficult time deciding which one to purchase. A lot has to due with how you plan to use the product and which is more convenient for you. If you are in a controlled environment or if you are outdoors, if you want something as small as a ring or if you don't mind carrying a product that is as large as perhaps a phone receiver. Of course, price is a factor too, but so is your life when confronted with danger! To make this decision easier for you, we have built a chart below that compares 4 products.

http://womenonguard.blogspot.com/

Taser death sparks march

noreply@blogger.com (Alan Howard) — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 07:12:00 +0000

About 100 people marched through St. Michel yesterday to protest against what they called the abusive use of Taser guns by police, and to demand justice for a man who died in October after he was tasered by police.

http://www.canada.com/

Man bursts into flames after being shot by a taser

noreply@blogger.com (Alan Howard) — Sun, 16 Dec 2007 00:58:00 +0000

Man pours petrol over himself.
Police shoot himi with a taser.
Man bursts into flames and dies.
Police say they don't know what ignited the petrol

Well, gee, maybe it was 50,000 volts of electricity being discharged into him.

What fucking morons. Seriously.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/

It's not a party til someone gets tasered

noreply@blogger.com (Alan Howard) — Sun, 16 Dec 2007 00:50:00 +0000

The Brandon police department is investigating allegations that some of its officers agreed to Taser people at a party, simply because they were curious about what it would feel like.

Some officers don't consider the incident a big deal, noting a member of the Brandon media was Tasered as part of an organized demonstration when the force introduced the devices in June 2006.

There's only one thing to say about this. And it's said in what I've categorised it as.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com

Taser trial cops broke rules 40% of time

noreply@blogger.com (Alan Howard) — Sun, 16 Dec 2007 00:39:00 +0000

Police breached procedures for Tasers on 40 per cent of occasions when they were used in the first six months of their trial, a group opposed to use of the stun-guns claims.

Campaign Against the Taser, headed by prominent Auckland barrister Marie Dyhrberg, said police regularly presented or fired the weapons at people below the authorised threat threshold.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/4324451a6160.html

NZ police commissioner to consider taser report

noreply@blogger.com (Alan Howard) — Sun, 16 Dec 2007 00:14:00 +0000

Milford was still holding a 15cm carving knife when he was stunned by the taser.

He had stabbed his eight-week-old son in the stomach, causing the infant's entrails to hang out, his 18-month-old daughter had abdominal, chest and neck wounds and his three-year-old daughter had wounds to her chest, abdomen and face.

I think tasers can be good for what they were intended for. As long as they're used for only that purpose.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/

Cops get new taser policy

noreply@blogger.com (Alan Howard) — Sun, 16 Dec 2007 00:09:00 +0000

Alberta has issued new police guidelines on Tasers, but the changes appear timid compared to what’s being recommended by a national agency that oversees the RCMP.

But Alberta’s new Taser policy, which takes effect immediately, allows police to use Tasers when suspects resist being arrested or even threaten to resist arrest.

Submit to anything and everything that is asked of you, even if unreasonable, or be tasered.

“I think the public is getting the impression, and rightly so, that officers are resorting to the use of Tasers in circumstances where it’s not justified,” Engel said in an interview.

Gee, do you think?

http://www.edmontonsun.com/

Canadians 10 times more likely to be Tasered to Death by Police than Americans

noreply@blogger.com (Alan Howard) — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 23:05:00 +0000

The population of Canada is 33 million while the population of the United States is 303 million. Therefore the United States has a population that is approximately 9 times larger then that of Canada.

Four out of the nine people listed above were killed in Canada, which means that if the police in the United States were to equal the same kill-to-population ratio as the Canadian police, then there should have been at least 36 Taser deaths in the United States. This is not the case. US law enforcement has only killed 5 people in the same time period. This means that Canadians are approximately ten times more likely to be tasered to death by police then our American neighbours.

http://www.chycho.com/?q=node/1420

Here I was thinking that the US was more dangerous, but now it seems Canada is...

Thanks to chycho (above) for updating me by email. If anyone else wants to send me links, information or stories, please feel free to do so by emailing me.

Mounties told to restrict Taser use

noreply@blogger.com (Alan Howard) — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 22:59:00 +0000

The public watchdog for Canada's national police force has recommended that the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) restrict the use of Taser guns.

http://www.abc.net.au/

White-suburbs remark panned

noreply@blogger.com (Alan Howard) — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 19:47:00 +0000

The Maori Party is accusing Police Association president Greg O'Connor of racism after he suggested opponents of arming police with Tasers should "get out of their safe little white suburbs" and visit South Auckland.

O'Connor made his comments in response to a call by Amnesty International yesterday for the police to postpone their decision on introducing the electric-shock guns.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/4321878a8153.html

Taser first, ask questions later

noreply@blogger.com (Alan Howard) — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 19:43:00 +0000

Edward Casey went to the Federal Heights, Colorado, municipal courthouse to contest a traffic ticket. After losing his case, he walked to the parking lot to retrieve money from his truck to pay the fine, carrying with him the court file. On his way back to the courthouse he was grabbed, tackled, Tasered, and beaten by city police officers.

http://blogs.enotes.com/decision-blog/

A sign of the times.

Prototype Car Taser

noreply@blogger.com (Alan Howard) — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 07:45:00 +0000

The prototype system can fire a targeted 50 nanosecond burst from as much as 50 feet away, completely frying the target car’s electrical systems. If the company can raise the funding to optimize the technology, they think they improve the firing distance up to as much as 600 feet away.

http://www.trendhunter.com/trends/car-taser

What I'm wondering about is, if it can fry the car's electrical systems, what's it going to do to the occupants?

Taser Opponents Lack New Zealand Perspective

noreply@blogger.com (Alan Howard) — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 07:42:00 +0000

"Unfortunately New Zealand Police are being called upon to respond to more and more volatile and violent situations where lives are at risk. Police officers are also facing record numbers of violent assaults. We must be able to respond to these threats safely and effectively, without being forced to use firearms, which are almost always lethal," Mr O'Connor said.

http://www.scoop.co.nz/

What isn't being said is that NZ police have never been issued with firearms. As a result, they have had to actually find non-violent methods of interacting with the public. I just hope that they don't turn to the 'easy path' of deciding to taser everyone they interact with, just so they can avoid that nasty stuff like public interaction...

Utah Taser Video: The Cop Perspective

noreply@blogger.com (Alan Howard) — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 23:50:00 +0000

Was the use of force "reasonable" from the officer's perspective? Only if one lives in a fantasy world where one deliberately closes one's eyes to both the reality of police work and the fundamental expectation that police do not go around using force against citizens because they, the cops, are screw-ups. No Orin, I can't agree that it was reasonable. And I can't agree that your efforts to "explain" the cop's perspective demonstrate that you take a fair and reasonable view of police/citizen encounters. You blew this one big time.

http://blog.simplejustice.us/2007/12/11/utah-taser-video-the-cop-perspective.aspx

An excellent analysis of someone's analysis. I love it!

Man sues city, officer for Taser incident

noreply@blogger.com (Alan Howard) — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 23:47:00 +0000

An Austin man is suing the city and an Austin police officer in federal court for a Taser incident that happened last year.

Eugene Snelling said Officer Thomas O’Connor violated his civil rights and used excessive force when O’Connor Tased him during a traffic stop.

The city has declined to comment on the lawsuit until it can further review it.

http://www.keyetv.com/

Get as much as you can out of them. The more these people are held accountable for their actions, the better off the rest of us will be.

Police Use Taser on Unruly Parent

noreply@blogger.com (Alan Howard) — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 23:43:00 +0000

A school resource officer used a taser to subdue and arrest an unruly parent at Ed White High School.

Clark says the school called the father of one of the students. Clark says the father showed up and became adamant that the school wasn't going to take his son away.

An officer warned the father to calm down a couple of times before deploying a taser.

http://www.firstcoastnews.com/
I guess it's clear that objecting to your children being treated as criminals is a tasering offence as well. Why would the children be treated any different to their parents? Don't object, or you'll get tasered too.

New taser policy released

noreply@blogger.com (Alan Howard) — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 23:11:00 +0000

More than a year after a university police officer used a Taser on a student in Powell Library, today the UCLA Police Department announced it has released its new policy regulating Taser use.

The policy, which should be implemented by the start of next quarter, was developed from recommendations made in an independent evaluation of the incident and in consultation with experts on Tasers and police use-of-force policy, said Police Chief Karl Ross.

Those definitions include all of the different levels of resistance, including “violent,” “active aggression,” and “active physical resistance,” according to a press release.

Ross added that all officers will have to be retrained on Taser use to make sure they are up to speed on the new policy.

The officers will be trained over the next few weeks, and the training will incorporate a review of the policy, practical application, judgement calls based on scenarios, and a written test that must be passed with a score of 100 percent, Ross said.

Let's hope we see less taser abuse after this....

http://www.dailybruin.ucla.edu/

Where is the outrage?

noreply@blogger.com (Alan Howard) — Sun, 09 Dec 2007 11:08:00 +0000

The abuse by law enforcement of the use of the “non-lethal” Taser device is nothing short of torture in many cases, where police pull out this tool too quickly, and unnecessarily, often when the victim has already been subdued. Other times the problem is that the level of use is outrageous — multiple applications of the device on a person after they are down and no threat to law enforcement.

The stories of this sadism are well-documented at this point — so many videos are turning up showing the misapplication of the Taser that you have to ask: where is the outrage?

http://pandagon.blogsome.com/2007/12/08/taser-sadism-on-tape/

Indeed.

It both surprises and disturbs me that there are more people supporting taser abuse than those against it.

Sanford police use taser in station

noreply@blogger.com (Alan Howard) — Sat, 08 Dec 2007 05:10:00 +0000

Sanford police used a Taser on a 19-year-old Berwick man who they said was slamming his body into a police station wall - creating holes in the drywall - during his booking early Friday morning.

http://news.mainetoday.com/updates/019404.html

Quebec Politicians & Community Leaders Call for Taser Moratorium

noreply@blogger.com (Alan Howard) — Sat, 08 Dec 2007 05:08:00 +0000

A coalition of politicians and community leaders is calling for a moratorium on the use of Tasers by Montreal's police force, arguing the stun guns are too lethal.

Now we're getting somewhere...

"Tasers are not a safe substitute for the use of firearms. They should be regarded at the same level," Mulcair said. "Tasers turn off human beings and they have an unfortunate side-effect: they cause death. The 17 deaths now recorded in Canada are ample proof of that."

http://www.2solitudes.com/blogs-blogues/51/Quebec-Politicians-amp-Community-Leaders-Call-for-Taser-Moratorium.html

Amen to that!

YVR implementing changes after reviewing Taser death

noreply@blogger.com (Alan Howard) — Sat, 08 Dec 2007 05:06:00 +0000

YVR says it's implementing widespread changes in its international terminal after Robert Dziekanski's death. Vancouver International Airport wants to make the improvements over the next two months.

One of the aspects of the case that's most engaged public sympathy is the long fretful wait while Dziekanski is trying to get to his mother who is outside a secure area.

http://www.news1130.com/

Someone has to die before they exercise some common sense and decency...