Why do our Police Torture People?

Question

April 23, 2004

PORTLAND, Ore. - The city of Portland has agreed to
pay $145,000 to an elderly blind woman after police
pepper-sprayed and shocked her with a stun gun.

The altercation began as an attempt to remove shrubs
and appliances from 71-year-old Eunice Crowder's yard,
and ended with police citing her for harassment and
disobeying an order.

"This case goes to show that police misconduct and
excessive force can happen to anybody outside the
mainstream," said Ernest Warren Jr., Crowder's lawyer.
"It does not have to be an African American; it can be
someone who is elderly and white."

The June 9, 2003, incident began when Ed Marihart, a
city employee, showed up at Crowder's home. He served
her with an administrative search warrant to remove an
accumulation of trash and debris.

According to Crowder and her lawyer, the woman told
him she was blind and hard of hearing, and asked him
to read the entire warrant to her, but he refused.

She
said he placed it in her hands, walked outside and
ordered others to start removing items from her yard.

The woman followed the city employee outside. She was
concerned that he and his co-workers had removed a
family heirloom, a 90-year-old red toy wagon with
rhododendrons in it. She asked to enter a trailer,
where items from her yard were being placed, to feel
around for the wagon.

Marihart told her she couldn't enter the trailer and
said the wagon was not inside. He then called police.

When Portland Officers Robert Miller and Eric Zajac
arrived at the house, Crowder acknowledged she had one
foot on the curb and one foot on the bumper of the
trailer. She felt someone step on her foot and asked,
"Who are you?"

Moments later, she felt someone strike her in the
head, which dislodged her prosthetic right eye from
its socket, and was knocked to the ground, she claimed
in her lawsuit.

Officers said Crowder ignored their commands not to

climb into the trailer and tried to bite Miller's
hand.

They acknowledged she was "pushed onto the dirt next
to the sidewalk," according to the city's legal brief
filed in court.

While on the ground, Crowder asked the officer what he
thought he was doing and kicked Miller. She said the
officer kicked her back, then pepper-sprayed her in
her eyes.

"While she's still on the ground, on her stomach, they
tased her in the back and in the breast," her lawyer
said.

Police said they pepper-sprayed Crowder after she
refused to stop kicking them. They admit that
Crowder's prosthetic eye fell out at some point, and
that Zajac stunned Crowder with a Taser, an electric
stun gun, twice in the lower back and once in the
upper back after ordering her to stop fighting and
resisting.

Warren said the city's argument is bogus. He said, "To
kick the crap out of old folks seems a little bit much
to me in the name of law enforcement,"


more at www.copwatch.com

Answer 1

The few contacts I've had with the police lately make me think they've turned into a bunch of punks on a power trip (no I'm not a criminal and I don't have a record). I'll never call them again for any reason, I can handle my own problems.

Answer 2

Well this was not tortue in the true sense of the word. However it was an abuse of power and certainly was misconduct.

Unfortunately the police are trained in a certain way, to deal with the criminal element and that is often very dangerous work. I can't say one way or another about the specific training of the police in Portland, but I suspect that they don't get a lot of training to deal with obstinate little old ladies. Despite that they made some poor choices, but imagine that the lady was a 230 pound muscular youth and behaving like that. Then thier actions would not have questioned and thier training would have been properly applied.

The police have a very thankless job and most officers become jaded with the genral public in a pretty short time on the job. They typically deal with the low life and the scum of the earth types so you can see understand how they become that way. It's not an excuse for abusive actions, just an understanding of how it can happen.

Most law enforcement personell are not well paid, are often frowned upon by the people the swore to protect and typically don't get any appreciation from the general population, until they are badly needed. No doubt there are bad apples in law enforcement that should not be there. But most cities have very strict guidlines and work hard to get quality people that can deal with the stress of the job in a professional manner. But many of those quality people can make a lot more money doing something else instead of trying to deal with guy that beats his wife and kids.

I'm not trying to make excuses for what happened in Portland, there is no excuse. But that was one incident with a couple of cops and no one should automatically assume that all cops are terrible becuase of it.

Answer 3

I think it's amazing that everyone is quick to judge the police after reading something in the paper. As a police officer, I lost count the number of times the newspaper got something completely wrong, or just failed to put in key information because it didn't fit the story. 99.999 times out of 100, the police aren't the aggressor. All action from the police is based on what the subject they are dealing with wants to do. My number one priority is my safety (yes it's true, I am human and have a family to take care of), so if someone appears to threaten my safety, I'm going to stop the threat as quickly and safely as possible. Also, please understand that we know people don't like us, that people want to hurt us, and that people lie to us. So if someone says they are blind and deaf, and they don't look 100% blind and deaf, the police are going to question it.

Answer 4

Not all Policeman act like that. There is no exception to the rule "one bad apple can ruin the whole bunch". You see what the media wants you to see. There will always be some corruption, but be realistic about what you see. What if all of the Police were bad, what would life here really be like for us? Think about it. Just be sure that if you ever see one (Police officer) breaking the law, you need to report him/her.

Answer 5

Wow, they really mishandled that situation. They could have been more patient wih an elderly lady who was probably very upset and getting more and more upset as time went by.
That isn't how most police would have handled that. Most would have been patient and read her the warrant, some offices if they'd known she was blind would have put the warrant in brail so she'd understand.
This isn't normal, don't gauge our system on this case.

Answer 6

I've seen alot of people play deaf and blind when confronted by the police. I would only believe this story if i had seen with my own two eyes.

Answer 7

Most people beaten by the police deserve it. Sometimes the Police screw up. I expect that since you're perfect you have never screwed up, but please try to be understanding of the mere mortals that surround you.

So if you can do a better job why don't you go join the police and help keep us safe from both criminals and out of control cops.

Answer 8

because they thinks they can do anything to people but they have to face that they cannot because sometimes they have to coopearate with people. what about the handicapped people? they suffer the worsest because police often take advanges of them when the police thinks they have done something wrong

i have been there before i am deaf plus am in wheelchair but can drive. i have been stopped by police before and he started to yelling at me and i was like im deaf i cant hear you and please write down or get interpreter which fits you better. he didnt believe me and just wrote speeding ticket and told me to get road which i did. but i did go to court and won. didnt pay the ticket.

Answer 9

Nothing wrong with the appraoch the officers took to subdue her. Have you never seen a 71 year old female kill someone? I assure you it happens and it happens often. Don' think for a second she wasn;t a threat. She was.

Answer 10

Some people wearing badges think that they are above the law, and that they can do as they please.Every department has them, and many departments get rid of them as fast as they unearth them.