[The Horrible Esthete]

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.

Of course the specific circumstances are key in justifying the use of this level of force. And you can't always trust media reports, I realize. That said, assuming that the woman in a wheelchair "swung knives and a hammer at relatives and police", and that she wouldn't follow the commands given to her by the authorities, then what is the alternative? Swinging a knife at someone is felonius assult, whether you are standing, sitting, haging upside down or playing tiddlywinks.

According to the report, both police AND ordinary citizens being threatened here. You know damn well if authorities are on-scene and a civvy gets a femoral artery nicked by that knife because law enforcement didn't succeed in subduing the offender, there's gonna be hell to pay.

So its the lesser of two evils: either it's the inncocent civilians that authorities pledge to "serve and protect" who could potentially be victimized, or the offender herself.

Given that reality, what IS the appropriate level of force? If the offense is felonious assault, the taser is justified. End of story.