Video: Oh look, another viral video involving police and tasers
posted at 6:44 pm on June 17, 2009 by Allahpundit
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So prized are new additions to this niche online that you’ll actually hear the cameraman squeal about how he can’t wait to upload the footage to YouTube. The question: What’s a cop, or team of cops, to do when they can’t force a drunk’s arms behind his back? One tasing doesn’t do it, a second tasing doesn’t do it, and then, around 40 seconds in, the fists start to fly.
Mick Taylor, chairman of Nottinghamshire Police Federation, said he recognised some members of the public would be shocked by the footage.
But he added: ‘They aren’t privy to what training we have in such situations. What the taser is used for is preventing long struggles.
‘You give an instruction. If they fail to comply you discharge the taser. If that doesn’t have the desired effect it’s normal practice to discharge it again.
‘With regards to the punches, they seem to be in the area of the shoulder. When you’re not getting compliance you apply pressure to certain parts of the body.’
Exit question for our cop readers: Aside from cases of self-defense, is it ever appropriate to punch a suspect? Even if we give the office here the benefit of the doubt and assume he was punching him in the shoulder to get his arm to relax, is that proper? If not, what’s the alternative — call for backup and wait for a whole new squad of guys to arrive and have eight men on his arm? Content warning.
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Two spelling errors in a sentence telling someone to read what they type before they hit submit.
Who could resist, especially against someone whose forte has consisted of various rephrasings of “UR GAY LOL”?
MadisonConservative on June 18, 2009 at 12:18 AM
I’ve actually gone on some of my first extended troll hunting adventures. I’ve searched for them going from thread to thread, saying one thing here, then the opposite there. And then I’ve cross-posted their hypocritical statements.
And then my contempt and ridicule meters have shot off the scale several times with some of them.
Yes. I confess I’ve been bad. And what’s more, I confess to being thrilled at driving them away at times.
Loxodonta on June 18, 2009 at 12:20 AM
Oh Freddy, you really aren’t very bright are you. No wonder your in the basement, See know, you made miss the start of the blanket show!
TheBigOldDog on June 18, 2009 at 12:20 AM
I beleive I’ve been called a sock puppet this week. And I know somebody told me that MadisonConservative wouldn’t be able to sit comfortably because of my nose.
Full Moon.
Loxodonta on June 18, 2009 at 12:23 AM
That’s what down cushions are for. No worries.
Did you give your rotary phone a hug, you antique?
MadisonConservative on June 18, 2009 at 12:25 AM
Your erudition leaves me confounded. I hope you enjoy your stalking.
MadisonConservative on June 18, 2009 at 12:26 AM
I did read your “initial post” and here ’tis…
*****BUSTED***** HiHo Silver, you illustrate another character flaw of the overly aggressive law enforcer, “shameless LIAR”! What we observe in the current video however is not so much aggression, as it is ineptitude– More like Keystone Cops. Certainly doesn’t evince confidence in those citizens they’ve sworn to Protect & Serve.
“Let’s Roll”
On Watch on June 18, 2009 at 12:29 AM
Those are British tasers.
They’re kinder and gentler, so it takes a few shots.
Shy Guy on June 18, 2009 at 12:29 AM
OK, I’m out. Gotta get up in the morning.
Have a good one *howl*
Upstater85 on June 18, 2009 at 12:31 AM
I don’t have a phone. And down cushions feel and smell awful.
Loxodonta on June 18, 2009 at 12:32 AM
Have a good day tomorrow.
Loxodonta on June 18, 2009 at 12:33 AM
Then how do you call the cops when those durned kids keep skateboardin’ on the sidewalk???
MadisonConservative on June 18, 2009 at 12:33 AM
I just realized the double entendre of my previous message and assure you I did not intend it. Good grief! Obama would fire me in a heartbeat if he stupid enough to hire me in the first place.
Loxodonta on June 18, 2009 at 12:36 AM
Have you paid taxes recently?
You’re out of the running, then.
MadisonConservative on June 18, 2009 at 12:38 AM
Is this a cultural reference I’m not getting? If I have to make a call, I go to the nearest pay phone. I lived this way for many years when I was young. I’ve been well-prepared for the Obama Depression.
Loxodonta on June 18, 2009 at 12:40 AM
Direct income taxes, not for a few years. Direct Sales and other indirect taxes, every time I make a purchase.
Loxodonta on June 18, 2009 at 12:42 AM
South Park reference.
MadisonConservative on June 18, 2009 at 12:44 AM
Only seen a few clips on line. Is that what I’m like?
Loxodonta on June 18, 2009 at 12:49 AM
Nah. I picture you more as Walt Kowalski in Gran Torino.
And if you actually are a PBR man, I salute you.
MadisonConservative on June 18, 2009 at 12:54 AM
Anyway, I’ve gotten way off topic, so I’ll go explore other threads, looking for trolls.
Loxodonta on June 18, 2009 at 12:54 AM
PBR?
Loxodonta on June 18, 2009 at 12:55 AM
You disappoint me.
Be off on your quest.
MadisonConservative on June 18, 2009 at 12:57 AM
So this is what we’re coming to? Resist arrest, act like a moron and sue the police when you get into trouble. I mean why comply, when you can bait the officers into using force and get paid!
brennan251 on June 18, 2009 at 1:02 AM
I’ve never been much of an alcohol drinker. Alcoholics do it alone, and as I’ve rarely ever socialized, I never picked up social drinking. Everything I know or believe is simply from observation or reading and 200 old movies and a bit of old TV, but hardly anything from family or social interaction.
Loxodonta on June 18, 2009 at 1:05 AM
I_C on June 18, 2009 at 1:07 AM
I’ve found my real dad!
MadisonConservative on June 18, 2009 at 1:09 AM
I’ve never met anyone anything like me in my whole life, so I don’t know what you’re talking about. But, I’d be happy to help you in any way I can. I’ve already told you my opinion of you.
Loxodonta on June 18, 2009 at 1:17 AM
First, I’m trying to figure out why the Content Warning. Second, I’m trying to figure out what the cops did wrong. I have seen a hell of a lot worse (all found legal and within policy in the United States). The dude wasn’t responding to the Taser and he was still fighting. The punches weren’t to the head (I saw someone said it was the brachial plexus–I need better glasses I couldn’t tell), but would you prefer the officers be injured rather than the suspect being hurt
JackofNoTrades on June 18, 2009 at 1:19 AM
Skipping all the drama and answering Allah’s question, yes it is acceptable to hit a suspect in the large muscle groups to get him to comply to your demands. Sometimes it is the only way to get a suspect’s arms behind him. Calling for back up doesn’t necessarily work because there are only so many people who can actually hold onto a person’s arm, and attempt to manipulate it, at one time. Besides, you don’t want 5 guys trying to do joint manipulation at the same time…especially if they’re moving the joint in different directions. Further, you want to end the situation as soon as possible; not only for your own safety but for the suspects as well. There is a phenomenon known as ‘excited delerium’ which some people undergo during a high stress situation such as this. Basically, the person uses up all of his body’s readily expendable energy sources. After that, he dies. One of the symptoms of excited delerium is extreme strength, and refusal to stop fighting. What you have to do is get the person subdued swiftly, then get the paramedics to work on him before he dies.
Contrary to what we see on TV, getting a person’s arms behind his back and into cuffing position is NOT easy to do. Try it sometime with a friend and see what happens when you actively resist. But um, make sure your health insurance is paid up first. It’s very easy to seriousely hurt someone without meaning it if you don’t know what you’re doing.
wolfva on June 18, 2009 at 6:49 AM
I love it. I leave and hours later Cheese for Brain is still going on and on about me. LOL
Poor Cheesy! Can’t find any RINO love on HotAir.
Blake on June 18, 2009 at 9:47 AM
These dudes need to be taught pressure points and leverage seriously.
- The Cat
P.S.
Danger! Danger! Danger!Tazer! Tazer! Tazer! Bring on the RemixP.P.S. And one for the camera man
MirCat on June 18, 2009 at 1:16 PM
First off, let me say that, since this video is from a different country, they may do things differently than we do here in the States. So, I’ll comment only from what I know – generally accepted U.S. law enforcement procedures.
First off, yelling, “TASER , TASER, TASER!” is what we are trained to do. It’s simply to warn other officers on scene it is coming so they don’t get zapped. Looks like the guy with the taser was kind of doing it backwards, tho – hitting him with it then yelling. Hehe. ;)
I also would have liked to have seen him, after the second taser application, put it away and assist the other three officers there with apprehension or to have attempted some crowd control – those people in the back there started to get a little too close for comfort at that point.
As far as the force used, it was completely appropriate. The taser for a noncompliant subject, as we covered last week with grandma, is completely legit and acceptable. The strikes ARE legit and acceptable also.
To answer AP’s question – yes, it is fine to strike subjects in cases other than self defense under circumstances like this. Such strikes are called “compliance blows.” The pain of the blows is the device used to gain compliance from a subject. In this case, the guy looked to be sooooo cocked and was resisting to the degree that the blows to the shoulder were completely fine.
In using compliance blows, however, if possible an officer should think of how they might “look” to the general public – in this case, the crowd of drunkards standing around. They won’t know/care that what the cop is doing has a purpose and is legal – they’ll just see the cop hitting some drunk guy “for no reason.” If you’ll notice, that’s when the crowd really started to go a little nutty.
Looks like “pressure points” would have been a good thing to try with this guy – there are several areas you can simply apply pressure to in order to generate pain and gain compliance and they don’t look like you’re really doing anything to the guy. Again, I’m looking at this from a “cop bystander on video” position and wasn’t the one there with my hands on the guy. I LIKE to think I would have thought of pressure points rather than strikes, but cannot say for sure.
Verdict: Very, very good job overall by all officers, based on what should have been done in the U.S., of course.
Sincerely,
9 years on the job, supervisor, blah, blah, blah. . .
RedNewEnglander on June 18, 2009 at 2:50 PM
Much ado about nothing. I agree that if it was possible to find and apply a pressure point, that would be ideal. In my experience, though, if you are not very adept at finding the points immediately (and of course, some are less susceptible than others), then it’s a wasted effort. Pain compliance through direct strikes to major muscle groups is much easier.
As to the amount of officers, that can be counterproductive sometimes unless they are all on the same general page. I believe someone posted how it defeats the purpose if one officer is pulling one way while another is pushing the opposite way. Completely correct.
All that being said, there was really nothing wrong with this video.
ajsleepy on June 18, 2009 at 4:14 PM
I actually have a more basic question — do we (and the English) as a society think that the state of drunkenness is a serious enough offense on its own to warrant an arrest involving potentially lethal force?
Why do we let the police continue to arrest people for non-violent, victimless “crimes” knowing that they are potentially going to kill the person trying to arrest them?
phelps on June 20, 2009 at 7:53 PM
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