Do you think that police abuse taser guns? And is it right for them to use them on someone who is handcuffed?

Question

I live in Atlantic Beach FL and I watched a guy get tased 12 times after he was handcuffed. He was not resisiitng arrest and was sitting there and cops came for everywhere and tased him. Im suprised he didn't die. Then you have to ask the city if you can file a civil suit against them what crap. I was a neighbor and watched the whole thing. Police brutality if I have ever seen it. Makes our neighborhood scared to go out at night and we live in a nice quiet neighbrhood. what do you think

Answer 1

YES THEY DO! And they feel justified in doing so! I used to be a police dispatcher. You should hear how the "peace officers" talk back on station. it would make you sick.

Police officers have about as much business with a taser as a 5 year old! About as much restraint and good judgment too!

I think you are correct to be afraid. Talk to your state representative about curtailing police use of tasers. Each taser use should be investigated as heavily as a gun shot.

Here where I live wh have had people, citizens severely injured by police over tasing. I know of one fellow how is now brain damaged, (yes they can when over used) another how is permanently disfigured because he hit the pavement so hard after being tased. Another guy has second and third degree burns from taser. We have Had a couple prisoners hearts stopped because of tasing!

Folks these are not harmless weapons. If you have never seen one in Acton, seen what it does to a person you really can't understand it.

Yes it is great for criminals BUT in our country you are not guilty till you are proved guilty in a court of law. Tasers are being use on kids who are committing pranks at night, people who are angry about a traffic stop, not violent just angry. People who are in the wrong place at the wrong time.

YOU are right to be afraid!!!!

Answer 2

No I don't think that the Taser is being abused. I think that people complain about it being abused. I would rather go to my taser than my ASP anyday. So, a 100 girl got tased. Why, because she did not comply? Fair enough. Did you think that the officer did not grab her or go hands on because he was bigger? I for instance what if I tased someone because they resisted and I was infact twice there size. Yes, twice there size. I'm 6'5" 270 it happens sometimes were little people want to fight. So? Resistance is resistance. Policy is policy. Does it look good for the media if a "giant" grabs some little guy and tosses him to the ground? You can thank the liberal media (all at once now!) or does it look better if he falls to the ground and says, "ok I'm done." The elderly gentleman...He didn't comply either. How many times should he be told to step out of the car? 1, 2, 10, ?....An inaction is non-compliance. Now, I personally only like to use my taser on foot chases. I have used it twice in the two years I have had it, and both were while people were running away. Well, they tried to. As long as I can get within 21 feet and get a red dot on them they're mine.

Answer 3

Tasers are great law enforcement tools that save officers and citizens from injuries and deaths. It is safe to be tased. Most of the officers I work with have been tased in training to carry the tasers. Some of have been tased multiple times. Getting tased one time or twelve doesn't make the tasing any worse. The effects of tasers are not cumulative. I you get tased with one taser - you get 50,000 volts - if you get hit with 10 tasers, you still get 50,000 volts.

There are many times when tasing a handcuffed person is appropriate. A taser is a very low level use of force in most departments. When a handcuffed person does not comply with lawful direction of the police, a tasing may be appropriate. Remember that resistance can be passive (i.e., just sitting and failing to comply with directions) or active (fighting).

Sometimes I get sick of people criticizing the police for using force. People who don't break the law don't need to worry about this. All day, every day, i deal with the regular citizens of the world. None of them are in danger of being tased or shot or anything else because they OBEY the law. Its the people who don't who have to worry... and its the people who don't who usually complain and yell excessive force when the police do thei job,

Answer 4

I don't think it's even legal to use a taser on someone who is handcuffed. Police policy generally allows the use of the device on a person if they present an immediate danger to officers or other people. The standards are usually similar to the standards required for use of lethal force.
Between September 1999 and October 2004, there were 73 cases of deaths of subjects soon after having been shocked using Tasers. Amnesty International have documented over 150 deaths following the use of taser. Various lawsuits against the manufacturers and users of stun guns are pending, but many court judgements have dismissed lawsuits by finding evidence of preexisting conditions, ranging from excited delirium (caused by a subject's interaction with high levels of drug-use) which may be a factor before cardiac arrest, and preexisting osteoarthritis which may make bone fracture more likely when the device is used on the subject.

Police officers in at least five states have filed lawsuits against Taser International claiming they suffered serious injuries after being shocked with the device during training classes.

Answer 5

If someone in handcuffs is trying to kick out my cruiser windows or is bashing their head on the divider trying to split their skull open they are going to get tased. If the guy was sitting on the ground in handcuffs and was told to stay seated and kept getting up then he could be tased. I don't believe that he was tased 12 times (you were counting?). Each circumstance is different. Around here, third party complaints are not accepted, the guy involved would have to make his own complaint.
People who live nice quiet lives in nice quiet neighbourhoods and do nice quiet things do not end up in handcuffs.

*note, you won't die from multiple taser hits, it hurts like heck but causes absolutely no damage.
Also--- fr_Chuck.....not all police service require officers to get tased to carry. Our service doesn't, but most do just to see how it feels.

Answer 6

First of all, You should report everything you saw. Do it in writing & either send it "return reciept requested" or deliver it in person & make sure you get the name of the person who recieved it from you & make surethe date is on it. Get a reciept also. Not all policemen are abusive & as you don't really know exactly what happened prior to this incident, then we can't say it was excessive although it does sound like it. Anyway, there is nothing wrong with tasers. They are merely instruments, they cannot think. It always boils down to the user. While there have been some abuses, in general the use of tasers by policemen has cut way down on the use of shooting related deaths involving policemen.

Answer 7

A taser gun is a great tool for a law enforcement officer to carry. It gives them an opportunity to handle someone in a non-lethal manner. If the officer used excessive force that would be subject to an investigation. They need weapons and if some few chose to abuse that power then they may lose their jobs.

Answer 8

Firstly: You have no clue what the circumstances were, so to claim police brutality is misguided. There are scales of force that officers are trained in as far as recognition and options for course of action. He could have been passively resisting, or actively resisting despite being cuffed. Handcuffs do NOT stop people from doing dangerous things, and sometimes aggravate individuals.

For people who are high on meth and other drugs which aggressively target the nervous system and do scary things to them, use of the taser is sometimes the only option. This guy could have been blasted out of his mind, and dangerous to not only officers, but himself, and they had to use the taser in order to control him.

I have no doubt that weapons sometimes aren't used properly, but never with the intention to injure or maim people to the point of death or permanent injury. I wouldn't be scared to go out at night if I were you; rather, I would be happy to know that officers are out there making your neighborhood safe.

Answer 9

Yes of course that is part of what a taser is for, it is used in prisons everyday for simular use.

He was not obeying thier lawful commands and no you don't die from some taser shots, police have to be hit with it before they are allowed to carry it.

This was the persons own fault for not showing his ID, for not leaving when told, for resisting arrest and not obeying lawful commands, They had little choice.

Answer 10

He had to have done something to get tased so much. For them to handcuff and then tase, that is b.s. At least allow him a chance to get a few licks in before ya light 'em up like an x-mas tree!!!!