Did this woman deserve this? Why arent tasers only used in deadly sitautions?

Question

Here is a videoclip of a woman being tasered by the police with 50,000 volts of electricity.

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/content/news/video/taser_video3a.html

Right now, police officers can use tasers on citizens for minor reasons. Many people in the United States want tasers banned or they want the police to only use tasers in deadly situations. You may get tased one day for a minor reason, so I suggest you sepak up about how and when police officers can use tasers on citizens.

Answer 1

A former Powell County deputy accused of shocking a jail inmate with a Taser gun without sufficient cause pleaded not guilty to mistreatment of prisoners, a felony, in Powell County district court.
Brown allegedly gave Heath a plastic drinking cup that he filled in his cell sink, then threw water at the camera, records show. Heath then reclined on his bed, lit a cigarette and began smoking, still wearing handcuffs.

A verbal exchange between the two was not recorded but allegedly overheard by a dispatcher nearby. Records allege that Brown apparently threatened to “Taser” Heath if he didn’t comply with his demands. When Heath didn’t comply, Brown allegedly fetched a Taser unit from storage and shot a Taser dart through the food delivery slot in the cell door, striking Heath in the shoulder.

At the time, records say Heath was reclined on his bunk, legs crossed, handcuffed and smoking a cigarette in a locked cell.


According to court documents, a videotape clearly shows Heath’s body seizing up from the electrical charge. After the five-second discharge, Heath allegedly complied to Brown’s
orders.http://www.mtstandard.com/articles/2006/05/29/newsdeerlodge/hjjdjehdjjhcfb.txt

The video referenced in the question is indeed troubling. I could probably come up with other situations when the use of a taser may have been unwarrented. I believe in both these incidents, such was the case.
We used to look to the law to serve and protect. Unfortunately, that is not what we look to law enforcement for now. We want them to do a very specific job yet we want to take away the tools they would use to do it.
It's sad but true that officers of the law are mere men. They aren't infallible. They do suffer from errors in judgement. If a particular officer is incapable of making good calls, he should look for a different line of work. Those who want to enforce the law must be able to be trusted to not fail in good judgement. We expect officers to be trained to have much more discipline than the average joe. He should be able to discern when that type of "force" is necessary. If he doesn't, he isn't fit for that line of duty.

Answer 2

Tasers are used to PREVENT a situation from becoming deadly.

I have yet to see a situation where a taser was used when the subject was not resisting.

If we all would relax, we wouldn't have this problem!

Answer 3

OH MY GOD!!!! EVERYONE LOOK AT THIS GUY'S QUESTIONS!!! HE HAS ASKED IT 5 TIMES NOW!
WHY???????????????????????

HERE AGAIN IS MY ANSWER!!!!!

Oh I've seen this a million times. How stupid do you have to be to not do what a cop tells you to do...PLUS he told her over and over again, I AM GOING TO TASE YOU!!!
If a cop tells you stop, get out of your car, or anything else, and you don't do it...he should be able to shoot you up your a-s.
People are so stupid. If a cop told me I was going to get tased if I didn't get out of the car...guess what I would do...get out of the car.
Dumb broad!

AND ONE MORE THING!! MY UNCLE IS A COP AND I HAVE SEEN HIM GET TASED...THEY ALL HAVE TO GO THROUGH IT! YEAH IT BROUGHT HIM TO THE GROUND...(I SAW IT AND LAUGHED) BUT GIVE ME A BREAK! IT'S NOT LIKE A FRIGGIN BULLET OR ANYTHING...COPS HAVE TO GET TASED TOO IN THE TRAINING! I WISH THE TASERS WOULD BE STRONGER...FOLLOWED ALONG WITH A NICE DOSE OF PEPPER SPRAY.