I generally have a lot of respect for police officers. Lately, there have been a lot of questions raised regarding the use of tasers by police. To me, a taser is an alternative to deadly force: if the cop feels they have to use a gun, or if they feel that the next step will be hand to hand combat, then the taser gives them an alternative.
Tasers are about as likely to cause lasting harm as a night stick or a punch, and are far more effective with much less risk to both the police officer and bystanders. However, I am beginning to think that some police officers are using them under rather questionable circumstances. If there are four or five cops and one guy with no history of violence and without a weapon, why is a taser considered “appropriate”? Or how about the circumstance in this video…
Here we have a police officer pulling over a guy for speeding in a construction zone. The driver has no priors, his wife and baby are in the vehicle with him, he is not drunk or stoned, and he is carrying no weapons. He is being belligerent and uncooperative: specifically, he is asking where the 40 MPH sign is (the video clearly shows him driving past it). And his big crime: he refuses to sign the speeding ticket.
Now…I personally don’t think I would do what this guy is doing- you don’t get out of your car and ask a cop to show you the speed limit sign. You might ask him (politely) where the speed zone is, but you leave the maneuvering for the court room. But it is a small step from asking a reasonably polite question to the level this guy was at- he wasn’t swearing, he wasn’t spitting, swinging, or throwing things, he didn’t even noticeably raise his voice. But he was tasered, thrown to the ground, handcuffed, and arrested. And the second officer on the scene (supervisor?) said “Good job!” to the arresting officer.
This doesn’t look like the right way to use a taser to me…