Ride With The Taser
 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMaMYL_shxc - The real action happens around the 2 min mark of the video but you might want to watch it all to get a feel.

Clip is of a Utah State Trooper tasering a guy after giving him a speeding ticket. When later describing the incidents to another cop that arrives, he says "He Took a Ride With the Taser". Pretty funny way of putting it imo.

So this is getting a lot of press on Fox News and CNN right now. Apparently, the guy that got tasered is the one that posted the video on YouTube.

Was the cop really in the wrong on this video? I can understand being simpathetic to the guy that got tasered, but in reality, the guy wasn't doing what he was supposed to do. I think the cop did jump the gun on pulling out the taser, but he only shot him after the guy turned his back and was walking back to his car.

What the hell is up with all these taser related incidents lately?

Re: Ride With The Taser
 

I usually side with the cops, but this guy was a little high strung. The driver was a bit of a douche, but the taser was a little much.

Re: Ride With The Taser
 

This made me sick. If you don't follow a cops exact instructions you can get tasered? The guy was obviously nervous because he had a taser pointed at him, and stepped a couple feet back. I thought tasers were a second-to-last resort weapon?

Re: Ride With The Taser
 

[ QUOTE ]
This made me sick. If you don't follow a cops exact instructions you can get tasered? The guy was obviously nervous because he had a taser pointed at him, and stepped a couple feet back. I thought tasers were a second-to-last resort weapon?

[/ QUOTE ]

They were supposed to be. Unfortunately, they seem to be much more prevalent now. Even in cases which do not warrant use of one. Just type in "Cop tasers" under Google News.

Re: Ride With The Taser
 

He told him to turn around and when he turned around the cop told him to turn around, then he tazed him.

Re: Ride With The Taser
 

he wasnt so much stepping back as he was walking back towards his car. he seemed to step out aggressively, and then didn't freeze.

if the guy was being overly agitated and not complying with the officers request, which it seems he was, then the cop was 100% in the right to taze the punk. he could have been going to the car for a weapon as far as the officer is concerned.

dont be an idiot and dont get tazed

*edit* also, i was REALLLLLY hoping he would taze the dumb woman as well

Re: Ride With The Taser
 

cops suck

Re: Ride With The Taser
 

[ QUOTE ]
he wasnt so much stepping back as he was walking back towards his car. he seemed to step out aggressively, and then didn't freeze.

if the guy was being high strung and not complying with the officers request, which it seems he was, then the cop was 100% in the right to taze the punk. he could have been going to the car for a weapon as far as the officer is concerned.

dont be an idiot and dont get tazed

*edit* also, i was REALLLLLY hoping he would taze the dumb woman as well

[/ QUOTE ]

So a cop is 100% allowed to tase you if you don't comply with his every demand? You do know that tasers occasionally kill people right? The cop here was obviously in no danger; and the driver was not running away or getting a weapon. Even pulling out the taser was out of line.

Re: Ride With The Taser
 

This is a case where the taser is used as a poor safety net by the cop. He handled the situation really poorly and could have easily avoided putting himself in a situation where he felt threatened.

Re: Ride With The Taser
 

i dunno, i mean i dont care for cops much at all and in my life have had encounters with enormous douchebag cops.

that said i am still going to comply with them, and if i ever act out in a manner that causes one to draw any sort of weapon on me im pretty much going to freeze and say "im no threat and will comply with you" to ensure i don't get owned. i mean, there is nothing else you can do and to do anything else is stupid.

Re: Ride With The Taser
 

also,

"turn around and put your hands behind your back" are pretty simple instructions, which the guy doesn't follow. in fact it looks like his right hand was going towards his right pocket.

the officer was obviously threatened a bit by the guy quickly walking up behind him

it is the guys fault 100%

Re: Ride With The Taser
 

I preferred the days of cops putting me on my ass with their cop ninja skills. This is just lazy.

I can see not wanting to get locked up with dude while there is someone else in the car though, wife or not.

Re: Ride With The Taser
 

He never said he was under arrest when he got out of the car. It's really obvious that the cop should have handled this way better.

Re: Ride With The Taser
 

yeah pigs suck.

The police should be there to use the lawas an instrument to serve and protect the people. Instead the police serve the law, and punish the citizens that break it. The culture of law enforment in the USA is so [censored] up I doubt that this problem will ever be recognised, let alone solved.

Re: Ride With The Taser
 

calc - That's a really shallow and dumb response.

Re: Ride With The Taser
 

and what.. you were trying to go one better?

unless you provide a cohesive argument to go along with your insult you are the shallow one

Re: Ride With The Taser
 

At 2:28 and onwards, it looks as if the driver is pulling a gun on the cop from the cop's perspective. The driver kept his hand by his pocket as if on a gun or a knife until he was tasered.

If the cop felt threatened because of this, he has a reasonable excuse for pulling out and using the taser. If he did not think this, then it was excessive force.

Re: Ride With The Taser
 

Seems like the dude could have fallen into traffic when he got tazered.

Very interesting how these cops are in situations that are so much like parenting. At about 3:30 the cop seems like he is about to tell the girl "get back in the car or I'll shoot you" but he checks himself. Just like when you are yelling at your kid you get to "...or I'll" and sometimes you have to stop because you know you can't follow through.

Cop didn't handle it well for sure. Is it that hard to tell him that signing isn't an admission of guilt, you have to sign or go to jail right now and to make your arguments to the judge?

That said, the dude needed to at least stand still. He wasn't particularly aggressive, but he was moving around way too much. Once he's been told to put his hands behind his back the cop can't just let him walk away.

I almost always side against the cop, but this time other than the fact he could have probably gotten the guy to sign, I don't think he was at fault. That is unless it's not really their policy that if you don't sign the ticket you go to jail.

Citizen, as usual for these videos, is a jackass, but that's not really important.

Re: Ride With The Taser
 

the truth is the cop created the panic and confusion hoping it would lead to a situation where he could use his taser, being the pig that he is.

A reasonable police officer, whos main goal was to diffuse the situation, would have warned the guy he would be placed under arrest if he didn't stay still and obey instructions. Or better yet, warned him that if he didn't sign the ticket he would have to arrest him. Instead, with no warning, he orders the guy out of the car, pulls the gun on him and starts yelling. And when the the agitated driver panicks, the pig does exactly what he wanted to do all along.

These are obviously the actions of a pig who likes to create situations where the slightest error by a citizen allows him to flex his ego and have some fun. As opposed to a police officer who likes to serve and protect by diffusing situations, instead of creating them.

Re: Ride With The Taser
 

but you are wrong? [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img]

Re: Ride With The Taser
 

The officer showed remarkable restraint. That kid is an idiot and so is his wife.

Re: Ride With The Taser
 

[ QUOTE ]
*edit* also, i was REALLLLLY hoping he would taze the dumb woman as well

[/ QUOTE ]

That would have been the best video ever.

Re: Ride With The Taser
 

[ QUOTE ]
The officer showed remarkable restraint. That kid is an idiot and so is his wife.

[/ QUOTE ]

Ok, I think what the officer did was fine and the kid is an idiot, but what do you mean by remarkable restraint? What should average restraint look like?

Re: Ride With The Taser
 

formula for cop-related thread in OOT:

OP about some questionable situation involving police officer
"I [censored] hate pigs"
"cops are douches"
semi-intelligent banter about how the officer overstepped his limits
"[suspect] was a douche"
intelligent discussion about necessary police precautions
"cops don't have the right to bla bla bla"
"don't taze me bro"
follow-up post 3 days later about how suspect gets 12.7M settlement

Re: Ride With The Taser
 

[ QUOTE ]
the truth is the cop created the panic and confusion hoping it would lead to a situation where he could use his taser, being the pig that he is.

A reasonable police officer, whos main goal was to diffuse the situation, would have warned the guy he would be placed under arrest if he didn't stay still and obey instructions. Or better yet, warned him that if he didn't sign the ticket he would have to arrest him. Instead, with no warning, he orders the guy out of the car, pulls the gun on him and starts yelling. And when the the agitated driver panicks, the pig does exactly what he wanted to do all along.

These are obviously the actions of a pig who likes to create situations where the slightest error by a citizen allows him to flex his ego and have some fun. As opposed to a police officer who likes to serve and protect by diffusing situations, instead of creating them.

[/ QUOTE ]

I agree, what the hell is up with telling the kid to get out of the car for? The cop could of just told the kid the consequences of signing or not instead of telling the kid to get out of the car. He then can escalate and tell the kid to get out of the card if the kid still refuses.

If I was the driver being asked to get out of the car so quickly, I'd be thinking What the [censored] for? The cop was a [censored] dbag.

Re: Ride With The Taser
 

paging Kipin

Re: Ride With The Taser
 

[ QUOTE ]
I agree, what the hell is up with telling the kid to get out of the car for?

[/ QUOTE ]

He was about to be arrested. He refused to sign the ticket (Which is basically a bond saying you'll pay the fine or show up for your court date) so at that point, the next step was to take him in an book him. That was the drivers choice, which he then resisted that as well.

This cop needs some serious conflict resolution training. His job will be much easier if he learns to use his mouth and not his taser. I have little doubt many cops would have had the driver signing the ticket no sweat.

Re: Ride With The Taser
 

The cop seemed to have gotten spooked by how quickly the guy came up behind him, but then why did he turn his back to him in the first place?

Re: Ride With The Taser
 

When has arguing with a cop about why you're getting ticketed ever worked?

Re: Ride With The Taser
 

[ QUOTE ]
I usually side with the cops, but this guy was a little high strung. The driver was a bit of a douche, but the taser was a little much.

[/ QUOTE ]

I agree with this. As best I can figure, the cop was arresting the guy because he refused to sign the ticket. I think the cop could have kept his cool, explained to the guy that the signature was a promise to appear in court, not an admission of guilt, and that the would be arrested if he didn't sign. It appears that the speeder really was just plain clueless, but the cop was really the one who escalated the situation by immediately deciding to arrest the speeder when he refused to sign. I don't think the guy even realized that was what was going on.

Re: Ride With The Taser
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I agree, what the hell is up with telling the kid to get out of the car for?

[/ QUOTE ]

He was about to be arrested. He refused to sign the ticket (Which is basically a bond saying you'll pay the fine or show up for your court date) so at that point, the next step was to take him in an book him. That was the drivers choice, which he then resisted that as well.

This cop needs some serious conflict resolution training. His job will be much easier if he learns to use his mouth and not his taser. I have little doubt many cops would have had the driver signing the ticket no sweat.

[/ QUOTE ]

Exactly: The speeder was an idiot. The cop needed to explain to him, calmly and with words of one or two syllables, that his options were to sign the ticket or to go to jail, and that signing the ticket was a promise to appear in court, not an admission of guilt. Instead, as soon as the guy says "I'm not signing anything" he tells him to hop out of the car and then to turn around. I don't think the guy even realized at this point that he was being arrested. Maybe the idiot still wouldn't have signed, but I'm guessing that he would have.

Re: Ride With The Taser
 

Calc is an idiot.

Now we can move on...

I'm largely pro-police. In my previous job I worked closely with police and attended many joint training conferences so I have a pretty good feel for what their job is about. Most police officers are pretty decent people and good at their job. These guys put their lives on the line to keep the community safe and I respect that.

I do have a problem with Taser use though. I live in Canada and it's a bit of a hot button issue at the moment due to the number of deaths resulting from their use of late (another today in Nova Scotia).

There are some police officers who are bad at their jobs (just like there are bad teachers, social workers, and grocery store check out clerks) - they exist in every field. The problem with police officers who are not very good at their jobs is that they have access to some dangerous toys.

The problem (as I see it) is if a police officer lacks strong crisis intervention skills (or has no desire to practice them) routine situations can escalate into high risk situations very quickly.

In the OP's video we have a situation that could have been diffused before they even ordered the kid out of the car. Yeah the kid may have been a douche but that is irrelevant. The situation in the Vancouver airport where the Polish man was killed is the same. Better response from airport management and security as well as better crisis management skills by the RCMP officers and the situation is deescalated quickly (I've discussed these points in a lounge post).

I'm not advocating that we get rid of the Tasers. I think they are a great tool that definitely save more lives than they take. However better training for the officers is required - not just in the physical use of the the Tasers but in other skills that would deescalate a crisis so the Taser can remain holstered.

I'm not sure of the stats so I'd be curious how often the questionable use of the Taser in by young, inexperienced officers. I'm not talking about the hotheads because these are guys who are just bad at their work. I'm talking about young guys who mean well but don't have the experience to diffuse a crisis. Non-violent crisis intervention skills take years to hone and some of these guys are not yet equipped to deal with potentially volatile situations.

Re: Ride With The Taser
 

[ QUOTE ]
formula for cop-related thread in OOT:

OP about some questionable situation involving police officer
"I [censored] hate pigs"
"cops are douches"
semi-intelligent banter about how the officer overstepped his limits
"[suspect] was a douche"
intelligent discussion about necessary police precautions
"cops don't have the right to bla bla bla"
"don't taze me bro"
follow-up post 3 days later about how suspect gets 12.7M settlement

[/ QUOTE ]

DONT TAZE ME BRO [/end thread]

Re: Ride With The Taser
 

I love watching uncooperative A-holes get tasered. (But the hysterical college student getting zapped a while back was the best.)

Re: Ride With The Taser
 

Hahahaha

DONT TAZE ME BRO!

Douche deserved every single volt [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

Re: Ride With The Taser
 

[ QUOTE ]
Hahahaha

DONT TAZE ME BRO!

Douche deserved every single volt [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[/ QUOTE ]


if I was that d bag student Id definitely wear one of these

Re: Ride With The Taser
 

NT,

please add calc to my list of 5 posters I'd like to see banned from OOT.

Re: Ride With The Taser
 

Neither one handled this well. Generally it's a good idea to keep your mouth shut during something like this -- when the cop asks him how fast he was going, and he says "68" (thinking he was in a 65-mph zone, I gather), I already knew it was going to go badly. (beyond knowing that the guy was going to get tazed that is) However, generally you keep your mouth shut so you don't self-incriminate yourself - not because you're afraid of getting tazed. So, while I myself would never have acted like this, I still wouldn't want to get pulled over by a cop who's so ready to respond like this.

compare with the video here, eh (most ppl have probably seen this before): no tazer here

[ QUOTE ]
I'm not sure of the stats so I'd be curious how often the questionable use of the Taser in by young, inexperienced officers.

[/ QUOTE ]

I don't know if you're referring to this incident, but most of the news accounts say this officer is a 14-yr veteran.

And the wife was 7 months pregnant, so probably a good thing she didn't 'get tazed as well'.

And, it's apparently not illegal to refuse to sign the ticket in Utah. Refusing can get you arrested, but that's not mandatory. Apparently there's a checkbox right on the ticket where the officer can indicate "refused to sign".

[ QUOTE ]
Salt Lake civil rights attorney Brian Barnard agreed police do have the right to arrest a driver who does not sign a speeding ticket.

Refusing to sign a ticket is not a crime under Utah state law. Signing a citation but then failing to show up in court, however, is a class B misdemeanor.

Another option if a driver refuses to sign a ticket is for the officer to "put it in the car in a professional manner and leave it at that," Roden said.


[/ QUOTE ]

http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/1,5143,695230005,00.html

Re: Ride With The Taser
 

Yes. The questions "Do you know how fast you were going?" and "Do you know why I stopped you" are intended to get you to admit guilt. You should never answer these questions in a manner that admits guilt.

In my experience when I have gotten traffic tickets, the cop normally explains that signing the ticket is not an admission of guilt, but a promise to appear in court (or pay the fine if that's an option). Dealing with idiots like the speeder in the video is part of a cop's job (one of the more unpleasant parts I'm sure). If the cop in the video doesn't learn to do it better, he will likely have a short career as a cop, either because he gets fired or because he gets killed.

Re: Ride With The Taser
 

So, the cop is driving along the Utah highway, and is coming up on a temporary speed limit sign and pulls to the side of the road. After one car passes, he pulls the guy over for speeding, and they come to the side of the road a few hundred yards into the new speed limit zone. This is dirty and the sort of [censored] that should not be condoned on the force. Way to work towards the investigation of suspected criminal activity and the referral of the results of investigations and of suspected criminals to the courts.

The cop is super out of line in the way he handles the situation he creates also, but I thought the manner in which he pulled the guy over to be almost as bad.