Good news: Cop tasers 72-year-old great-grandmother
posted at 7:35 pm on June 9, 2009 by Allahpundit
Stage two of my plan to give our new registrants a proper Hot Air welcome. We’ve already had multiple Palin posts; the obligatory 800-comment police brutality thread is next. Then all that’s left is a post on atheism and my work here is done.
The dashcam audio’s a little hit and miss so you’re probably better off skimming the partial transcript before watching. As I’ve said before in our endless taser debates, I thought the stun gun is only to be used to subdue a perp who presents a physical threat or who can’t be subdued any other way. This huge cop was incapable of wrestling granny’s arms behind her back to slap the cuffs on? What if he tased her and she had a pacemaker? Verdict: Desk duty for six months.
Blowback
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He needed her to sign the ticket.
What is it about that you don’t understand?
Itchee Dryback on June 9, 2009 at 8:10 PM
I wonder what they did without tasers in the olden days.
Upstater85 on June 9, 2009 at 8:10 PM
Exactly.
kkaneff79 on June 9, 2009 at 8:11 PM
Put a bullet in their head and then dropped a throw-away gun next to the body.
TheBigOldDog on June 9, 2009 at 8:11 PM
cool!
moonbatkiller on June 9, 2009 at 8:12 PM
I don’t know what that old bag was trying to prove, but if you ask me she had it coming and she was warned plenty.
She could have become passive at any time. Many other cops might have just tackled her dumb ass and shackled her up. She should count herself lucky she survived, if she had a pacemaker she might not have.
Then she lied like a rug to the reporter that interviewed her, that was before the tape was released. Now she has no comment.
Spiritk9 on June 9, 2009 at 8:12 PM
Yes, this keeps being said. Again, he pushed her. How exactly was he concerned about every bone in her body at that moment?
I suppose when the mentally challenged kid runs around naked, the cops should tase away. Yeah, what she did was wrong, but this could have been (and probably has been) handled without any JUICE.
Upstater85 on June 9, 2009 at 8:13 PM
No, I haven’t, turd-blossom. But that doesn’t mean I can’t empathize with the average citizne who is pissed off about speed traps designed to erase state budget problems, and end up getting tazed for their trouble.
kkaneff79 on June 9, 2009 at 8:13 PM
It’s the little old lady from pasadena
It’s the little old lady from pasadena
Go granny, go granny, go granny go
Got a pretty little flower bed of white gardenias
Go granny, go granny, go granny go
But parked in her rickety old garage
Is a brand new shiny red super-stock dodge
And everybody’s saying there’s nobody meaner
Than the little old lady from pasadena
She drives real fast and she drives real hard
She’s a terror out on colorado boulevard
Knucklehead on June 9, 2009 at 8:13 PM
…and if he handled her with open hand restraint techniques that would have looked SOOOOOOO much better from the dash cam. For a person like this the trained techniques is a distraction, followed by a take down, followed by application of restraints. So, granny takes a knee strike to the common peroneal nerve (side of leg), her knees buckle with a sympathetic reflex response as the police officer performs a straight arm bar takedown.
Or he could just tase her.
Inzax on June 9, 2009 at 8:13 PM
Heh… not so much with the cameras…
Upstater85 on June 9, 2009 at 8:13 PM
I bet you mother and grandmothers are proud of you.
TheBigOldDog on June 9, 2009 at 8:13 PM
Gee, I was gonna support the old lady before I saw the video and then she opened her big mouth. Too many old ladies nowadays have big mouths and little respect kinda like saucy children. Good for the big cop for not taking this woman’s bullsh*t.
harry boris on June 9, 2009 at 8:14 PM
Sorry but the officer was in the right. I guess Allah would like to see her beat with an ASP instead.
If you are following California law. When lethal force is justified I don’t know any cop who is going to taze, they’ll simply shoot.
darclon on June 9, 2009 at 8:14 PM
AP, you really should change your blog name to Loki.
MB4 on June 9, 2009 at 8:14 PM
I think the officer was in the right here. If you don’t sign a citation, they are legally allowed to arrest you. It’s obvious she was being combative after she refused… and he gave her plenty of warnings to stop or be tased. Leave the arguing for the courtroom and just sign the dang citation. Not to mention she’s a liar to top it all off. Sheesh woman! I don’t care how old you are, it doesn’t give you a right to speed and risk other people’s lives so you can get somewhere.
Christina D on June 9, 2009 at 8:14 PM
They came in with the tazers.
TheBigOldDog on June 9, 2009 at 8:14 PM
I thought that law enforcement officers were screened and then trained to handle situations like this. I would hope that they’d be better able to bring calm rather than escalate a confrontation with an elderly person.
ORrighty on June 9, 2009 at 8:15 PM
Sounds like that ol’ lady has been a biotch all her life but, now she has made it to 72 and uses her age as a crutch.
The tazing was uncalled for, he could have just as easily gave her a throat chop to shut her up.
Actually if it had been a Texas Highway Patrolman instead of a constable, that would not have happened. They are the pinnacle of professionalism.
TheSitRep on June 9, 2009 at 8:15 PM
Yeah, I should have said, “not so much with the cameras now…”
Upstater85 on June 9, 2009 at 8:15 PM
Just imagine their response when Gramma J-walks.
Upstater85 on June 9, 2009 at 8:16 PM
True dat. I wouldn’t want to be her grandchild.
Now that would have been entertaining.
+1
Upstater85 on June 9, 2009 at 8:17 PM
Sotomayor is no help. The woman is white and oprobably against abortion.
The anti abortion profile was what DHS placed on warning. These grannies may have terror cells.
seven on June 9, 2009 at 8:17 PM
Thats a weak argument imo.
Of course you have rights. As with any right, your end of the bargain is responsibilities. Due process was being followed. She broke the chain and changed the game to the next level…the law then has the “right” to follow procedure.
Your argument that it was the ‘speeding ticket’ that got her tazed is just silly and deflective imo.
Itchee Dryback on June 9, 2009 at 8:17 PM
The Left says the same stuff about the military. It’s wrong in both cases – first, because you’re using purely anecdotal evidence that is easily canceled out; second, because it’s hyperbolic to the point of insanity; third, because it’s an argument made by someone who’s never had to actually do the job, as far as I know.
There are good cops, and there are bad cops. This one made the right call.
emailnuevo on June 9, 2009 at 8:18 PM
Sotomayor is working on stopping any reporting on this ;)
Upstater85 on June 9, 2009 at 8:18 PM
Heh My other thought is:
And the left thinks waterboarding is torture? I think I’d rather be waterboarded than tased, honestly. OW!
Christina D on June 9, 2009 at 8:19 PM
It’s attitudes like yours that enabled the Nazis to take control of Germany in the 1930s.
infidel4life on June 9, 2009 at 8:19 PM
Maybe he has a bad back.
Or maybe he was getting back at his own granny for not letting him eat all the Christmas cookies. If that was the case it looks like the porker really showed her.
MB4 on June 9, 2009 at 8:20 PM
If my mother or grandmother got in my face and I had a tazer, they’d be wearing some electricity to be sure.
Look, we put cops out there on the streets for a reason. We have to give them the cooperation and respect to get the job done. They aren’t there to be shit on because you’re in a bad mood or think you’re entitled to break a law no matter how trivial you think that law is.
Our cops are there to protect people from idiots like this out of control grandma. If tazing her dumb ass made her controllable and ended a possibly dangerous situation, I’m all fine with it.
Spiritk9 on June 9, 2009 at 8:20 PM
Also:
People dead from waterboarding? 0
People dead from tasing? >4
Christina D on June 9, 2009 at 8:20 PM
Heh… Then he rolled out a blanket next to her and cuddled telling her “sorry, gamma.”
Upstater85 on June 9, 2009 at 8:21 PM
I really hope I’m reading this out of context…
Upstater85 on June 9, 2009 at 8:22 PM
Glad you pointed that out. I feel sooooooo much safer now.
infidel4life on June 9, 2009 at 8:23 PM
We’re entering an era when fewer and fewer grannies are going to have led the kind of prim and proper lives grannies did 20 or 30 years ago. As time goes by we’re going to see more and more grannies who spent their youths in the late 60′s onwards and will have experienced lives that were far less innocent than the lives that kids led in the 40′s and 50′s. Think sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll. The question is: what are we going to do about the granny menace? I’ve noticed grannies getting more and more reckless, aggressive and obnoxious over the last decade. Never underestimate a granny.
Sharke on June 9, 2009 at 8:23 PM
Can’t blame the woman. The cop probably needed to fill his quota and decided to randomly stop her.
Other than that…Granny’s tough like a mofo.
Savrielle on June 9, 2009 at 8:23 PM
Again..you’re just making that up as you go. That claim is based in nothing.
The use of tazers was developed as a method of compliance that was shown to cause less harm than wrestling ..or fighting..or batoning.
This should be easily understood when using reason over emotion when evaluation a situation.
What do you think?? Tazers were introduced because they cause more harm tham fighting??
Itchee Dryback on June 9, 2009 at 8:23 PM
Hey Itchy-Crotch, you think that when state governments passed laws enabling tazer use, they intended them to be used against 72 year old women who refused to sign tickets? The tazer is supposed to substitute the gun, which by your reasoning means that she should have been shot prior to the tazer being available. As a previous commenter said, the cop had her on tape, had the details of the infraction, and her refusal to sign. You’re saying that due process required that she be arrested and/or tazed? Woe is you if you ever find yourself pissed off or disagreeing with a Police Officer.
kkaneff79 on June 9, 2009 at 8:24 PM
She claims to be a 73 year old women but acts like a 13 year old, hmmm… The fact of the matter is all she had to do was sign the form; the form doesn’t declare guilt or innocence, just that you realize the police are citing you. The fact of the matter is you have too, to do otherwise shows she’s quite immature. Wow, your 73, I guess you can get away with anything you want, Right?
The officer followed the rules, the lady is at fault. Maybe, she missed Chris Rock’s video about, How Not to Get Beat Up by the Police.
Next time she should donate to State Troopers fund and put the sticker on the side of her car. Considering most traffic stops are to fullfil the Quota system, gotta pay for police funding somehow!
LordJack on June 9, 2009 at 8:25 PM
Taser seems a little stringent but she was combative and the officer cannot allow the situation to get any further out of hand. I guess she felt that if your 72 you can violate traffic laws.
iflyfish on June 9, 2009 at 8:26 PM
Thats a weak argument imo.
Do you know why we empower cops to use ‘force’? Is it to enforce compliance with stupid things like unsigned speeding tickets? If that’s the case, then the terrorists have already won. The founding fathers would roll over in their graves if they saw this kind of nonsense.
kkaneff79 on June 9, 2009 at 8:26 PM
Did he or did he not push her in the video?
I didn’t say he had to slug her one. Bear Hug isn’t quite the same as batoning. Could you take this granny down without batoning?
They were probably introduced for some PC reason
Upstater85 on June 9, 2009 at 8:27 PM
No, I was just being a jerk. I’d never do that to my mother or grandmother. It’s hurts them enough just to not talk to them when they’re being jerks.
Spiritk9 on June 9, 2009 at 8:27 PM
The sad state of things…
Upstater85 on June 9, 2009 at 8:28 PM
You think that’s bad?
Wait until Obanomics shrinks her Social Security check down to half a peso.
I guess the lesson here is…. sign the damn ticket.
TexasJew on June 9, 2009 at 8:28 PM
Well now, there is a certyain logic to that, having out of control cops to protect us from out of control great-grandmas. It does have a certain symmetry anyway. Of course, so does having the inmates run the asylum.
MB4 on June 9, 2009 at 8:28 PM
Phew…
Upstater85 on June 9, 2009 at 8:28 PM
Wow……… I have never felt like a far left wing liberal before in my life. Reading these posts makes me understand how the German people were able to allow the Nazi’s to murder 11 million people.
The only thing I can imagine being more reprehensible than this cops actions are the people saying what he did is acceptable.
Which one of you can honestly dare to suggest that so much as one single founding father of this once great republic would have approved of this?
doriangrey on June 9, 2009 at 8:28 PM
Oh yeah??
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/10/12/earlyshow/main648859.shtml
kkaneff79 on June 9, 2009 at 8:29 PM
Godwin’s Law. You lose.
Dubya Bee on June 9, 2009 at 8:29 PM
“The terrorists have won”? That, and the constant ad hominem, make you sound like a troll.
It wasn’t for “unsigned stopping tickets.” The video makes clear she was resisting arrest and, if I saw correctly, tried to shove the cop, so toss in assaulting a cop.
emailnuevo on June 9, 2009 at 8:29 PM
Itchee Dryback… So they CAN’T get her to pay or tocourt without a signature? They have her license, they have her registration, they have her plate numbers and they have her, on tape, refusing to sign. Do you really think if she DOESN’T sign the ticket, she WON’T have to pay & have points taken?
She’d probably come to her senses and realize that she’d be better off paying the fine than letting a judge see the dash cam footage.
Jeff from WI on June 9, 2009 at 8:29 PM
kkaneff79 on June 9, 2009 at 8:13 PM
Every speeder is trapped into speeding and then tazed for their “Trouble”. You come across as someone who makes a lot of excuses for your errors, or just blames someone else. You must be proud of your new president.
ronnyraygun on June 9, 2009 at 8:30 PM
Really?
What is that conclusion based on?
Itchee Dryback on June 9, 2009 at 8:30 PM
Pretty sure the Federalists would have been fine with it.
emailnuevo on June 9, 2009 at 8:30 PM
One reason to taser granny:
She may have had rabies and tried to bite him.
Upstater85 on June 9, 2009 at 8:31 PM
Nice. No wonder this country is sooo f’cked.
TheBigOldDog on June 9, 2009 at 8:31 PM
Wow, that trooper was WAY to accomodating to her.
She was really rebellious over a speeding ticket? You have to be kidding me.
At first I was thinking the cop should be fried but after the video, the old lady clearly was way out of line.
However, he probably could have cuffed her without the tasor, although the procedure may have been tasor in that situation.
The lady is one cranky old broad. Reminds me of my Mom.
Sapwolf on June 9, 2009 at 8:31 PM
No, not actually understanding Godwin’s Law means you lose.
doriangrey on June 9, 2009 at 8:31 PM
Oh! Look at this gem I just found on the local news (a story from today, actually):
Guy with mental illness has an episode, his wife calls 911 to get him help, the officer arriving tases him and he dies… nice
Now that’s an episode I don’t mind agreeing is probably an abuse of the taser according to law. My honest opinion is that I don’t think tasers should be used unless the officer’s physical wellbeing is in danger.
Christina D on June 9, 2009 at 8:31 PM
Then you have obviously never read any of the federalist papers.
doriangrey on June 9, 2009 at 8:32 PM
It was entrapment!!!!
:)
Sapwolf on June 9, 2009 at 8:32 PM
cop was right / granny was wrong – age of law-breaker and following the law are 2 separate issues – what’s next? she has a rage problem and should not be cited? when does it end?
besides, granny was white, so no civil unrest is necessary – nothing to see here
Ris4victory on June 9, 2009 at 8:32 PM
Oh, come now. They would have had a duel.
Upstater85 on June 9, 2009 at 8:33 PM
Then you have obviously read too many Ron Paul books to assume that I haven’t, which I have, or that this is some sort of danger to liberty. Resisting arrest is fair grounds for tazing.
emailnuevo on June 9, 2009 at 8:33 PM
Being a certain age doesn’t mean you can resist arrest.
Although, if I were the officer I’d like to think I would’ve handled that a little more delicately, without having to use a taser. These situations are plain ugly but I don’t think the use of taser was the biggest problem.
I think the policy of making people sign the ticket is the biggest part of the problem. In this case, what was a simple speeding ticket is now a crime because someone doesn’t want to sign their name and got angry.
All that said, if you have a problem with police using force, then don’t resist arrest.
brennan251 on June 9, 2009 at 8:34 PM
Sigh…ok. Lets paint the situation here….
She was being aggressive, uncooperative, and combative. She kept coming at him, only a step, but that is an aggressive action.
Now suppose this cop was to give her all the room in the world and she kept doing this and ignoring the law in the process. The law is that you either sign the ticket there, or downtown. She opted for downtown, then decided against it a little too late, then became even more combative and threatening to leave the scene, which in this case is resisting arrest.
So what if in her idiotic dancing either she or the cop got too close or into the road and was splattered? Or how about if one of them got into the road and a car went into the oncoming lane to avoid them and killed someone head on?
I guess that’s ok, as long as you’re a grandma that doesn’t like speeding tickets right?
Then again, why do we need cops at all? Lets just all agree to be liberals then we’ll all be living in utopia, right? Ok.
Jeez, I can’t believe some of you people.
Spiritk9 on June 9, 2009 at 8:34 PM
Gawd that is just a weak statement that is so often used by people to silence others.
TheBigOldDog on June 9, 2009 at 8:34 PM
First part was humor…good on you to catch that.
Second part is clearly your attempt at humor. She pushed him? Or was it the other way around? This cop no doubt gets off on his ‘power’. It’s clear in the way he screams at her and attempts to assert his authority. Small d*ck syndrome, I’m sure.
kkaneff79 on June 9, 2009 at 8:34 PM
No, it is law-abiding citizens who ultimately lose when law-enforcement morphs from being servants of the people to being our masters.
infidel4life on June 9, 2009 at 8:35 PM
Your signature is basically a bond. Refusal to sign the citation for the infraction is well within your rights, however, you have to be arrested and brought before a judge or at least booked and post a bond to guarantee your appearance in court. I believe the founding fathers would appreciate a society based on laws.
Force only becomes necessary when the violator escalates the situation. In fact, it is the violator who calls the shots and dictates how much force can be used. Officers are trained based on a something called the “force continuum” They are obligated to only use as much force as necessary to make an arrest. The tazer has been shown to cause less injury to suspects when used. Given his other option was to knee strike/straight arm bar grandma he may have made the choice which caused her the least amount of injury.
Some people just will not cooperate. No matter how you approach them, no matter what amount of ass kissing you do, no matter how skill you are at verbal judo, they are simply going to refuse all verbal direction.
Options? Sitting on the side of the road with a verbally non-compliant individual is not safe for either party. Often times backing your verbal tone down and talking calmly can calm the violator down. Sometimes it takes some savvy. Sometimes nothing you do works.
Inzax on June 9, 2009 at 8:35 PM
Actually, I’ve been to Germany and I can tell you that the term Police Brutality doesn’t exist. If you mess with the cops or don’t comply they will rip you out of your car and beat you.
Case in point: If you deny a breathe-alizer, they will ask for a blood sample. (They are all qualified to take blood) If you say no, They will pull you out through the window, hold you down and take a sample of blood to see if your drunk.
The US is much more lenient than Europe… trust me.
LordJack on June 9, 2009 at 8:35 PM
It’s bowing to the Saudi King like our POTUS did that leads to Nazis taking control.
That cop never should have appeased her. He was like Chamberlain in Munich ’38. That woman had brownshirt all over her.
:)
Sapwolf on June 9, 2009 at 8:36 PM
Perhaps you should check out what happened to Texan trooper Randy Vetter when he pulled over a 72 year-old man.
I’m not gonna post the video but what occurred is far worse than anything AP has ever posted on this subject.
BTW, they didn’t sentence Hale to death because he was old and frail.
darclon on June 9, 2009 at 8:36 PM
I am beginning to think that Spiritk9 may be Ted Nugent.
MB4 on June 9, 2009 at 8:37 PM
She refused a lawful order from a cop, was defiant and confrontational. Then lied about her conduct before the tape was shown in public. Shes a senior citizen who thinks she is above the law.I would never try to walk thru a cop. Ive seen the tape and I say…She needed a tazzin. If I acted in that manner I wouldn need a tazzin too.
reconchesty on June 9, 2009 at 8:37 PM
Dude, homeschooling is illegal in Germany. I’d sure hope the US is more lenient than Europe… BTW I notice the
far-rightfascist left is gaining ground in Europe…Upstater85 on June 9, 2009 at 8:37 PM
Thanks for some good sense.
Sapwolf on June 9, 2009 at 8:37 PM
It’s hard to distinguish between humor and serious argument when so much of what you say is laughable.
On my statement, we both know that assault can be construed on the flimsiest of charges. The big point is resisting arrest.
emailnuevo on June 9, 2009 at 8:38 PM
Now you’re just being silly with the ‘naked kids’ stuff.
Some similar cases may have been handled without tazers…so what? Its not an either/or world. Both are prober and up to the officer to make the call based on the individual circumstances.
It could just as easily be argued that similar situations have caused actual injuries and law suits…it doesn’t matter. Each situation is different, and there was nothing wrong with how this was handled imo. You’re letting emotions affect your judgement.
What is it that you’re actually claiming?? that she was injured?
Itchee Dryback on June 9, 2009 at 8:38 PM
Godwin is a nobody and his “rule” is meaningless and idiotic. It’s used by people on the Internet like children playing some schoolyard game, screaming, “you’re out!” at their playmates.
TheBigOldDog on June 9, 2009 at 8:39 PM
Personal experience, and I’ve read plenty of posts from LEOs on various forums with the same attitude. It’s all too common, as we see in videos like these.
infidel4life on June 9, 2009 at 8:40 PM
See, this is why people hate right-wing blowhards. Case in point, you’re talking about one thing, and ronnyraygun comes along and makes a reference to Obama. What does this have to do with Obama? This was in TEXAS, the redest of red states for crying out loud.
Your other remark about making excuses for errors is equally stupid. I’m arguing against disprportionate use of force. Something the founders were certainly attempting to stave off when the constitution was written. Failure to sign a ticket does not and should not ever qualify one to be tazed. If you can’t understand that, then I suggest you taze yourself a few times–even if it doesn’t change your mind, it will hopefully alter you in such a way as to ensure that you won’t be able to procrate and spread your stupidity.
kkaneff79 on June 9, 2009 at 8:40 PM
Thank you. Another poster that holds up common sense at HA.
Sapwolf on June 9, 2009 at 8:40 PM
Or maybe the porker thought that old age was caused by a contagious virus. Can’t be too careful these days.
MB4 on June 9, 2009 at 8:40 PM
Cops aren’t supposed to escalate situations, they’re supposed to minimize them. When pulled out of the car, the lady said that she’d sign the ticket. The cop should have immediately presented her the ticket to sign at that point.
Instead, he escalated the situation because he didn’t like her language. That was his mistake. It was stupid. Cops who do that are dumb cops who let their ego get in the way of doing their job. It was HIS fault that the situation got dangerous.
Oh, and good Lord that Fox news reporter is hot…
Sydney Carton on June 9, 2009 at 8:41 PM
now she was the victim of not only a brutal cop, but a “speed trap”?
What are you basing that claim on?
Itchee Dryback on June 9, 2009 at 8:41 PM
If you cannot understand that it wasn’t about the ticket, it was about resisting arrest – then there’s nothing more that any of us can say.
emailnuevo on June 9, 2009 at 8:41 PM
Touché. ;o)
infidel4life on June 9, 2009 at 8:41 PM
Where’s Janet Reno when we need her?
She and her buddies are always knocking down the “right wing extremists” in Texas.
Mcguyver on June 9, 2009 at 8:42 PM
This discussion is the result of the destruction of the family and the parental responsibility to teach right from wrong.
TheBigOldDog on June 9, 2009 at 8:42 PM
Hey, I also posted a silly Senior Citizen J-walk comment…
I rest easy knowing the officer has his tazer gun charged and ready… I sure hope he charged it.
Well, I’m not the one saying that she had it coming — which she did (OK, so now I’m using my emotions).
You never answered the other question… Was she pushed?
Of course she wasn’t injured… I wasn’t terribly worried of her getting some scratches either… let’s see…
Now, in all fairness Wrestling isn’t the same as Pushing.
Upstater85 on June 9, 2009 at 8:43 PM
Oh yeah, so why did he not let her sign the ticket when she got out of the car and said she would? Had she broken some law that requires her to do it within 30 seconds of him telling her to do it?
kkaneff79 on June 9, 2009 at 8:43 PM
Hey what would you do if a rabid ager was running at you?
Upstater85 on June 9, 2009 at 8:44 PM
Dude, she said she’d sign the ticket when he pulled her out of the car. Why was he still trying to arrest her? Do the statues require her to sign at a moments notice? Of course NOT. The cop was just asserting his authority and being a d*ck.
kkaneff79 on June 9, 2009 at 8:44 PM
AP, AP, AP. . .
*sigh*
Time for some Policing 101 here.
>>As I’ve said before in our endless taser debates, I thought the stun gun is only to be used to subdue a perp who presents a physical threat or who can’t be subdued any other way.
WRONG. Tasers, which I carry and have “taken the full ride” on (5 second shock with the prongs being shot into me – not at all fun) is to gain compliance from people, this is true. However, while it is useful to use on those that it’s difficult to subdue in other ways, the main purpose of the Taser is to prevent injury. It’s obvious from the video that the lady was going to attempt to get back in her truck – both from her actions and words. At that point, the officer has two choices – hands on or Taser (unless he’s carrying pepper or a baton, but we won’t address that stuff here).
This is a classic example of how we are “damned if we do, damned if we don’t” in this job. Go “hands on” and wrestle her – you break her shoulder, hip, arm maybe. Hell, I’ve even seen old folks that have their *skin tear* while resisting arrest. How are any of those things going to play out for the officer? Use the Taser and, well, you see the response you get from the general public. BUT, the stubborn old lady didn’t get any serious injury from its use.
>>This huge cop was incapable of wrestling granny’s arms behind her back to slap the cuffs on?
See above.
>> What if he tased her and she had a pacemaker?
Taser claims that pacemakers aren’t harmed by the device and they’ve done extensive testing on them with pacemakers. Besides, that’s not the cop’s problem – it’s granny’s. Everything in this situation is caused by her, the cop is reacting to her actions.
I’ve had people not want to sign a ticket (I, too, work in Texas and it’s law that you have to sign a ticket) and the officer had the option of letting her not sign – this is true.
All I can say is I would have liked to have seen a little more patience by the officer when she refused to sign, instead of “okay, out of the car.” I, personally, likely would have just given her the ticket and wrote REFUSED TO SIGN on the line where she is supposed to sign, simply because I feel that arresting an old person for refusal to sign a ticket is poor form. To me, at that age, you’ve earned the right to run your suck a little bit, even at an officer. Was the officer in question here within the law? Yes. Would I have done it? Likely, no. And I say “likely” simply because I wasn’t there and am only going on what is presented in the video, which is not the whole story.
Other things to hit on in the vid – pushing her can be justified to get her, and him, back further out of the road for safety’s sake. In keeping with that, it was not good officer safety to keep his back to the road while he was so close to the road. He was likely staying there to keep himself between her and the truck’s driver side door, which is good tactically, but I would have liked to have seen him guide them both another 5 or so feet closer to the shoulder of the road.
>> Verdict: Desk duty for six months.
Verdict: Tell him he did a good job and was within the law, but do a “verbal counseling” session with him to see what he may do differently with an obstinate oldster in the future.
There’ s my “cop’s eye view” on this latest “horrific” vid,
-9 years on the job and currently a supervisor
:)
RedNewEnglander on June 9, 2009 at 8:45 PM
Quite the imagination you’ve got there. He outweighed her by 100 lbs, he could have easily muscled her out of danger.
infidel4life on June 9, 2009 at 8:45 PM
B-b-but then he couldn’t use his toy?
Upstater85 on June 9, 2009 at 8:46 PM
If by Ron Paul books you mean the Federalists papers, then yes I am guilty. Somehow I seriously doubt that you have read any of the Federalists papers, I suggest that you try #84. Madison and Hamilton had absolutely no love for authoritarian/totalitarian regimes. What they did believe was that it was better for one hundred guilty people to go free than it was for one single innocent person to suffer injustices.
doriangrey on June 9, 2009 at 8:46 PM
Even giving her the electroshock treatment probably still posed a danger to the world. For all we know she could have been tanked up on moonshine and exploded from the electrical current. He probably shouldn’t have taken any chances at all and just shot her in the head.
MB4 on June 9, 2009 at 8:46 PM
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