Skowron said Andy Somora had to be restrained by police and was tasered at least twice. His wife also received a shock because she was touching her husband during one of the incidents. Skowron said husband and wife were both arrested, but Chikaming police would not confirm that claim, and no mention of the use of a taser is included in the news release.(Emphasis is mine.)
Aside from the complete incompetence shown by the police in this particular episode, the only things lacking are a fatality from "less-lethal" force-application and perhaps a subsequent promotion for said incompetence.
I understand that the police, like many organizations in the public eye, suffer from the effect that one may define the reputation of the many; however, it seems that the police themselves, when faced with such an egregious instance of stupidity-in-uniform might, might think to distance themselves from such. The only times when they must do so are in rare cases where the act in its entirety is available for immediate inspection in the public domain.
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2 comments:
I have a big problem with Tasers, not so much with the tool itself (there is some debate about how "safe" they are and if they aggravate underlying cardiac conditions).
Because you don't have the same kind of Rodney King-type imagery of 5-6 cops beating on a subject, people are less likely to get excited about them.
But my beef isn't necessarily with Tasers themselves but the protocol in how they are used.
Whatever happened to proportional force? The cops tase people who are passively resisting all the time, yet no one says anything.
Not following some gang-banger in blue's instructions immediately gets you tased. No matter if you don't fight back, no matter if you're just sitting there not posing a threat to anyone except the cop's inflated ego.
That just pisses me off
But let's face it, Tasers do kill people.
I think that the widespread overuse of Taser technology might be a symptom of personal detachment as well. Don't like the suspect? Just pull the trigger until you smile. (And I certainly think that the pack-mentality of the police is a contributing factor... Reminds me of the wolves in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.)
Proportional force went out with the adoption of a policy that the police should "shock and awe" others into cooperating. It's in the voice, body language and overly-aggressive behavior. Because you can't be too careful. Everyone is a potential felon. (Except they really are: with the tens of thousands of Federal laws on the books, they can and will get you will something if they want you bad enough.)
Not all police do this. But the problem is that they will condemn this behavior publicly, and the average cud-chewing American's complicity in the situation is equally to blame.
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