what will it take for Americans to put the criminal justice system back on track with what the American people want for police protection in the USA? It seems that if cops can't physically "control" a citizen they will just pull out their tasers and shock them. Why is that? What about a 6 year old girl that was tasered several times by school peace officers in order to "bring her under control"? Isn't about time that Americans redefine what criminal behavior is and what can and cannot be done to subdue someone - and in the case of a college student who recently was tasered when he was simply carrying out his right to question his representatives and/or candidates - a US Constitutionally guaranteed right? When will the criminal justice system be fixed and bad cops removed from the various police agencies within our government (local, state, and federal levels)? Let's not just point a finger at cops - let's point the finger at ALL criminal justice actors. Just WHO are they protecting?
2007-09-20 01:39:47 · 12 answers · asked by Mary W 4 in Politics & Government ➔ Law Enforcement & Police
It's more corrupt than broken. They think they stand for justice and whatever they do is justified. They take advantage of their power and think they can get away with it. You should start a campaign for better discipline of criminal justice actors and revision of criminal justice laws. There are many people out there who are shocked and outraged at this very fact.
2007-09-20 12:46:24 · answer #1 · answered by naturehelper409 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Though I do agree with you that we need to remove bad cops I believe you are looking at the taser from the wrong point of view. Would you rather be tasered, suffering a quick short shock that you do not suffer from afterwards or a wrestling match with a police officer? Although some cops make bad judgements as to when to use them some of the incidents where they are used and you think they shouldnt are for the safety of the suspect and the officer. First off, you do not understand how powerful people can be. a 9 year old was off his medication and suffered from ADD and learning difficulty. He began beating his mother up and it took 4 adults to hold him down and we still got bitten. Just because someone is young or old, big or small should not come into the equation of when the taser is issued. If you think it should, I will introduce some 6 year olds that will put a few bruises on you or an old age pensioner who could probably kill you. Also, breaking the law is breaking the law. If they are required to be removed from somewhere or arrested as it infringes on other peoples rights, and they refuse to do so, then I believe they should be tasered before they end up with bruises and cuts and the officer is blamed for excessive force. You cant just pick and choose the laws to break and the police just cant say 'Oh well, you just stole something or trespassed and we really want to take you to jail but you wont come so bye bye'. I like you would like to see some changes within the criminal justice system. Better pay for cops would lead to better quality as the police agencies could be competitive with other careers. But as it is, the pay is low, they are sued on a regular basis and they are not allowed to do their job so you have to put up with it until you are willing to come out of your pocket and pay higher taxes to get better police
2007-09-20 01:59:09 · answer #2 · answered by BigEasy 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
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2016-06-12 10:56:12 · answer #3 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The system is getting better in most places. The education of police officers is continually rising. Many police officers now have college degrees. They use a threat matrix to determine what level of force is necessary.
Having said that, I agree that mistakes are made. There is NEVER a reason to use a taser or any other sort of incapacitating force on a 6 year old child. There are hundreds of thousands of police officers on the streets in this country. Many of them make decisions about use of force every day. We must continually strive to do better but we will never be perfect.
As for bad police officers, we now prosecute those that willfully violate the law. Something that was virtually unheard of just 25 years ago. There are civil rights prosecutions for officers that use their positions as an outlet for racial or other bigotry. There are blue wall prosecutions for officers that cover for the criminal conduct of other officers.
We should continue to try to improve on techniques for subduing unruly suspects with minimal harm. As technology improves (as it did with the advent of the taser) I believe this will happen. Unruly suspects are often those with serious mental or physical disorders. There was a case in my county where a man was having a diabetic seizure and the police thought he was resisting. He tried to tell the that but they didn't believe him. He died in custody. These are all tragedies that can be avoided with proper education and tools.
2007-09-20 02:14:12 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
The system will be fixed when people start talking about duties as often as they talk about rights. A person has a legal duty to submit to arrest. If he or she resists, he or she is breaking the law. It up to the court system to sort things out after there is an arrest.
2007-09-20 02:04:41 · answer #5 · answered by Bibs 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
From what I saw of the college kid getting tasered, he was charging the stage yelling things. He was told repeatedly to stop, and the cops shocked him when he failed to comply. Common sense says you do not act like a lunatic and then expect them to let you continue it.
The constitution grants the right for people to "peacefully assemble", not act like a jackass and get tasered.
2007-09-20 01:48:37 · answer #6 · answered by Nic T 4 · 2⤊ 1⤋
"It seems that if the cops can't physically control someone they just taze them"...are you serious?...... Where is the outrage when some refuses to follow the orders of police (Whom we employ to keep the peace) and worse yet gets into a physical altercation. So your suggestion then is that if a person resist the cops should just let them walk away free?
2007-09-20 01:46:42 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
The guy was belligerent and looking to cause a scene. He got one.
And tazering is just one way to control an unruly person. They could have beat him with a billy club. Or maced him in the eyes. Or threw him to the ground, put their knee on his back, and cuffed him.
Freedom of speech does not mean trying to take over at a debate. That is denying others THEIR freedom of speech.
2007-09-20 01:54:33 · answer #8 · answered by Philip McCrevice 7 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Statistics for 2005 are at 16,692 for murder, 1,390,695 for violent crime in the USA. All the kings men may not be able to put us back together again. Our laws seem to be only for those who keep the law and illegals and criminals get off free.
2007-09-20 01:54:52 · answer #9 · answered by jackie 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
First off, in both cases you cited-------they weren't police officers involved----they were rent-a-cops. Guys in uniform, with no training, making $8-$10 an hour.
2007-09-20 01:48:13 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋