These are not good times for people who make Tasers.
An article in an Australian newspaper relates the death of a man in a Vancouver airport who was hit twice with a Taser. A second article in Canada.com lists a number of failures in how the situation was approached, including how the device was used. Incidents have occurred in United States airports, and colleges, too -- some of which we wouldn't know about were it not for cell-phone cameras and the like.
As the first article points out, Tasers were intended as a substitute for lethal force, which substitution is a good thing. Apparently, that not how it's playing out -- and the commentary by an RCMP spokesman to the effect that the death in Vancouver is 'just one person's view' is disingenuous, at best. Then again, the US had, in Rodney King, an excellent example of a video showing someone not just being Tasered but being actively beaten up by police -- and that went nowhere, so perhaps the RCMP can ignore this as well as we ignored our own.
Makes you wonder -- are we letting our cops away with too much?
7 comments:
I don't think the RCMP is going to get away with this one, nor will Vancouver Airport security. This poor fellow was left to wander aimlessly for TEN HOURS around the airport, after his mother failed to meet him. (For some reason, she went back home when she couldn't find him.) No one tried to help him, no one procured a translator, no one even bought him a coffee, for God's sake. Judging by the horrifying video, the police didn't appear to make an attempt to manually restrain him before they effectively electrocuted him. It's a tragic situation all around. I just wish they'd stop using those damn things. They're KILLING people.
There isn't a peaceful way to arrest someone who is in any way agitated, and cops are as susceptible to emotion - Get him! Hit him with it again! - as anyone else. I have read (years ago) of cops getting special training on handling stress, but I would imagine its been years for them, too.
I am not a police defender, and I don't see anything wrong with making their jobs more difficult, but when I think of taking tasers away from them, I think of what tasers replaced. I know (through news reports) of people being injured, sometimes seriously, even fatally, by all of the alternatives to being shot that have been developed, thus far.Perhaps a taser ought to have a power cycle -- use it once, and it doesn't work again for ten minutes.
I saw the video, too, and I agree; the cops didn't look like they were trying to restrain him. I would be willing to bet (based on things I've read for other circumstances), that they were a little frightened -- cops are used to arresting people, but they like order; this fellow appears to be crazy, and the weren't sure what to expect out of him. That doesnt excuse them -- four cops? one guy? -- but it might explain it. Of course, if they were frightened, they'll never admit to it, probably not even to other cops.
Bottom line is, I guess, that tasers can't be considered a viable alternative to lethal force anymore; just a less-likely one.
There have been some fantastic "Jackass" stunts that involve tasers.
Other than that, and for unruly cattle, I have no use for them.
I went to look at Google Images, thinking that the taser must be functionally different than the cattle prod, but apparently not -- though it is interesting that if you search for 'cattle prod' you get a lot more images that REFER to one than actually SHOW one. I gather from this that 'cattle prod' is part of our national mythos. In any event, both deliver a charge across an conductive surface, such as your basic bovine or unresisting proto-arrestee, so your reference is apt.
As for Jackass stunts, you can taser all of them that you want.
In the case of the Russian (I think that's what he was) that was tasered in the Vancouver Airport, I haven't seen the video yet, tho it's been on all the news (going to YouTube it and see what comes up). I think cops are to quick to taser these days. In some cases, it's warranted, and especially with all the gang related events happening lately in Vancouver, I do understand why it happened. I'm thankful I'm not his family tho, because I would NOT let this go!
Polish, actually.
If your big city cops are like ours, you're going to see some heavy duty statements come out like 'At that time, the officers involved in the interdiction determined that the suspect presented a credible threat, and that actions should be taken in order to minimize the possibility of danger to other airport residents, as well as to the officers. Accordingly, a single discharge of a taser device, as prescribed in relevant police procedural instructions, was issued. Upon noting that the charge did not have the desired effect, a second charge was issued, enabling the officers to subdue the suspect without harm to himself or others."
Because nobody gets points for saying 'Ah, jeez, we fucked up; we're really sorry'.
I'm back, I watched the video clip, and I personally think in that case .. the cops did what they had to. Who was to know the guy had a weak heart? There was made mention that a translator should have been called in, but how do you settle someone down, that's throwing furniture and paceing angrily, during the time it takes for a translator to make it to the location.
See, and this is why I ignore the news. lol
And I absolutely love your conclusion! hee!
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