04-27-2006, 09:49 AM
Okay, Esthete, so now that we've established that threatening a cop is an offence, we're faced with the practical problem of actually making the arrest. And how we do that depends on the situation.
Clearly, a person in a wheelchair waving a knife poses a different threat than does an able-bodied person waving a knife.
Tasers represent a special problem, because they are "non-lethal," but can kill people. There is a lengthening list of people who have been killed by Tasers, and in most cases they were resisting arrest or otherwise bringing trouble on themselves.
The problem is not whether the police are justified in using force, but whether the level of force is appropriate. The question is whether the level of risk involved in Tasering someone is well understood by all police departments. There is plenty of cause to believe that it isn't.
There have been numerous examples of police using Tasers on people who were passively resisting arrest, where it is not justifiable -- i.e. a protester goes limp to force police to carry him into the paddywagon, so the cops Taser him until he starts walking under his own steam. That's no different from beating someone with a baton to make him walk -- in fact, it's worse, as the risk of death is higher.
Worse still, there have been numerous incidents of excessive use of Tasers, where the cops administer additional shocks as a way of taking out their frustrations. In some cases, cops have Tasered non-resisting suspects who were already handcuffed and in a cruiser. It's a way of administering a beating that, unlike beating with a baton, leaves no marks. In these cases, the Taser has acted to enable police brutality by providing a means of inflicting pain without leaving evidence.
This clearly suggests that lots of cops are not aware that Tasers can kill.
That brings us back to this incident. What exactly happened? We don't know, so we can't reach any conclusion. Should we be concerned? I'd say yes.
Clearly, a person in a wheelchair waving a knife poses a different threat than does an able-bodied person waving a knife.
Tasers represent a special problem, because they are "non-lethal," but can kill people. There is a lengthening list of people who have been killed by Tasers, and in most cases they were resisting arrest or otherwise bringing trouble on themselves.
The problem is not whether the police are justified in using force, but whether the level of force is appropriate. The question is whether the level of risk involved in Tasering someone is well understood by all police departments. There is plenty of cause to believe that it isn't.
There have been numerous examples of police using Tasers on people who were passively resisting arrest, where it is not justifiable -- i.e. a protester goes limp to force police to carry him into the paddywagon, so the cops Taser him until he starts walking under his own steam. That's no different from beating someone with a baton to make him walk -- in fact, it's worse, as the risk of death is higher.
Worse still, there have been numerous incidents of excessive use of Tasers, where the cops administer additional shocks as a way of taking out their frustrations. In some cases, cops have Tasered non-resisting suspects who were already handcuffed and in a cruiser. It's a way of administering a beating that, unlike beating with a baton, leaves no marks. In these cases, the Taser has acted to enable police brutality by providing a means of inflicting pain without leaving evidence.
This clearly suggests that lots of cops are not aware that Tasers can kill.
That brings us back to this incident. What exactly happened? We don't know, so we can't reach any conclusion. Should we be concerned? I'd say yes.