Student TASERed For Not Showing I.D: Yet Another Example of Abuse of Power?

Question

A cell phone captured video of a 23-year-old student being administered multiple Taser shocks by UCLA police on Tuesday.

According to the Daily Bruin, the student did not show ID to community service officers who were conducting a random check. UCLA police said the student was released by police after he was cited for obstruction/delay of a peace officer in the performance of duty.

The paper reported that the student complained when an officer was escorting him from the lab and put his hand on one of the students arms. He allegedly yelled, "Get off of me," according to the paper. He was then shot with the Taser.

The Daily Bruin reported that after he was hit, the stdent yelled, "Here's your Patriot Act, here's your f---ing abuse of power."

Police said they thought he was not harmed in the incident. "If he was able to walk out of here, I think he was OK," the sergeant said.
You be the judge.
(video)
http://www.nbc11.com/news/10328455/detail.html

The Daily Bruin reported that after he was hit, he yelled, "Here's your Patriot Act, here's your f---ing abuse of power."

Similar question...
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=Aq0C.67XVjo.7b1As2KgAmbsy6IX?qid=20061110165525AA4Tbxa

Answer 1

Every UCLA alumnus should call the UCLA President's office (310-825-4321) and let Pres. Robert C. Dynes and Chancellor Norman Abrams know that you will withhold all contributions until the police officers are fired.

A university is usually far more tolerant and respectful of students' rights, and far more restrictive on police brutality, than outside the university gates. In Mexico, police are not allowed on a campus at all unless requested by the Chancellor. Having worked in universities for the past 20 years, I can safely say the behavior of the UCLA PD as exhibited in the 6-minute video (not 10 seconds) is inexcusable. They could have dragged the guy out, let him scream all he wants. If he resisted phsycially, they could have handcuffed him -- for 200 years our police did not need tasers or pepper spray to handcuff people. (Maybe he was already handcuffed when they Tasered him, which is even less excusable.)

There is a big difference between being tased once (often by a low-voltage) in a test situation and having it done to you multiple times in a row in a hostile situation. There have been 73 deaths associated with tasers between 1999 and 2004. Even police officers in five states have sued Taser International claiming they "suffered serious injuries after being shocked with the device during training classes." http://orlando.injuryboard.com/defective-products/an-alternative-to-the-defective-and-deadly-taser.php

Answer 2

Well, all I can say is that UCLA police will be out of a million dollars in the near future. The training in these officers was lacking. A taser shot can incapacitate a person from 5 to 15 minutes. When, he did not get up from the floor they tasred him again. While he was handcuffed, they tasered him 5 times. In anyone's dictionary this would be excessive. Yes the kid had an attitude but this still was excessive.
Lord L is being a racist. Logger, if u think logically, tasering someone 5 times who is alread handcuffed is excessive. You would probably be ok if they killed him because he is young and bratty. Thomas E, he was on his way out when they tasered him. He was protesting because one policeman put his hand on the student's arm. Most likely, he did not liked being touched. The student was obviously stupid but that does not justify tasering a naive brat for 5 times while he was handcuffed.

Answer 3

The terms you are using would indicate there was more than one police officer, therefore they were not justified in tasering the student even if he probably was a terrorist based upon his name. How do you like the way i condemned the police while at the same time engaging in racial profiling.

Answer 4

Soon it will be illegal to refuse to confess to any crime you are charged with and torture will be allowed to secure a confession .
Do not forget about the retired 65 year old black school teacher who was beaten by police in New Orleans and the reporter who was shoved and cursed at by police .
We live in a police state that is just not evident to most people .
In fact most of them like it .
80% of Americans would want drug dealers and rapists interrogated by any means to gain a confession .
What does that tell you . This means only 20% of the people are still free in their mind and the rest are already victims of the police state mentality .

Answer 5

All he had to do was show I.D. - is that so difficult? Possibly an abuse of power - but definetly an abuse of freedom by the 'student'. Freedom isn't free, and as far as I am concerned, if you aren't blond haired and blue eyed in southern California, you damn well better expect the police to ask you to prove you are here LEGALLY. If the same thing happened in Iran, Iraq, Syria, China, Russia etc, would it be considered 'abuse of power'? No, it wouldn't. Only in the USA is it considered 'big brother' - grow up - geez, to think I am a liberal saying this.

Answer 6

Wrong - certainly.
Anyone interested in considering the other flip of the coin? Understaffed campus police trying to maintain a minimum level of security identify a student(? - as they would see someone w/o ID) who is surely and at least verbally abusive. Hmmm - it really does take 2 to tango and to tangle.

Answer 7

That's why the Republicans lost the midterm elections. Because America is getting tired of Nazi behavior like this. Repeal the patriot act and teach the police some civility for a change.

Answer 8

Law suit extraordinaire. This is why we need stricter guidelines for these rent a cops. Certain personality's shouldn't be allowed to have positions of authority. These second class mentality's need jobs like green glass sorter or led paint tester.

Answer 9

I have heard this story and believe the officers were in the right. They had asked the young man to please show his school ID. He said he didn't have one on him. They request that he leave the premises. He did not. They ask a second time. He stays. They call campus police and they ask him to leave. He doesn't comply. So they used a tasser weapon to take him down. They were doing so in the best interests of the students. They should be praised for their reserved manner.

Answer 10

The Constitution has been abused and this is going to be common place in America.