Yes, and a taser is not an appropriate form of corporal punishment, at least it isnt in Texas. Only reason a police officer can use one is the certification that officers carry, similar to our ability to carry a gun. In this situation I wouldnt have used it, and there is no way I wouldnt be disiplined by my department if I had. But this is Ozark, Arkansas that were talking about. It doesnt make it right but small towns always do things a little differently than most, and I dont know their policies on Tasers, but I do know that they are much different than that of Texas.
There would still be a story and the officer would still get grief, especially if the girl got hurt. In reality, is there any more lingering effects from a taser than being thrown/tackled to the ground? Interesting question. I am always amazed at how so many throw so many criticisms at officers when they themselves have no clue what it is like to walk in their shoes and be forced to make quick decisions to protect themselves and others all the while having to be consumed with the though that whatever you do, could end up costing you your career, or worse, your life.
Well said, and to be perfectly honest, there is a better chance of hurting somebody using your arrest mechanics than the actual Taser, considering you can use it for an instant and then release the dart and end it. That being said, I would never Tase a 10 year old, even if they were being a little ****-head and deserved it. Wayyyy to much liability there. Statistics show that officers have less than 1.5 seconds to react to acts of violence, that is why we spend more of our off time in class than most other professionals (Even if we do b**** about it at the time), so we can typically make the right decisions. Unfortunately its the nature of our profession, Im never in the news when I do the right thing and handle domestic violence in the right way, making both parties calm down and eliminating the situation. But when a fellow officer makes a mistake, reacts the wrong way, then it labels us all as incompetent A-Holes.
For those who think the cops always get away with it: http://www.4029tv.com/news/21763682/detail.html [rquoter]Ozark Officer Who Used Taser On Girl Fired LITTLE ROCK, Ark. -- The mayor of a small Arkansas town said the police officer who used a Taser on an unruly 10-year-old girl has been fired for not using the camera attached to the stun gun. Ozark Mayor Vernon McDaniel said Monday that Officer Dustin Bradshaw was terminated, effective last Friday. The mayor said he received notice of Bradshaw's firing on Monday morning. According to a police report, Bradshaw used the Taser on the girl on Nov. 11 after receiving a call about a domestic disturbance. The report said the girl's mother gave Bradshaw permission to use the stun gun if he needed to. A phone listing for Bradshaw couldn't immediately be found Monday. The mayor said Bradshaw will still receive unpaid vacation and holiday time.[/rquoter]
"The mayor of a small Arkansas town said the police officer who used a Taser on an unruly 10-year-old girl has been fired for not using the camera attached to the stun gun." hhhmmmm Ok to Taze just have the camera on? Rocket RIver
Perhaps a liability issue?? Failure to follow procedure? With the camera on it helps eliminate he-said/she-said issues that tend to pop up, at least I would think so. Basically they would be able to see why he did it, and unless it was a really good reason(which it probably wasn't) it would look bad and cause issues for the department(which it did).
They got him on a technicality. Policemen have unions, so it's probably easier to cite a breach of policy than go into a gray area regarding judgement.
