Texas HB 418 - Requiring that Use of Tasers Meet Deadly Force Justification

[TXCharlie]

Sorry the 4-shot thing made it in

http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/news/opin...2/16507118.htm

Shocking bill

Possibly the most bizarre bill in the history of the Texas Legislature, HB 418, has been submitted by Rep. Lon Burnam, D-Fort Worth. The legislation, if passed, would allow police officers to use Tasers only in situations in which deadly force is justified -- yet Tasers have proven to be as nonlethal as any tool that cops have at their disposal (even pepper spray and fists).

Burnam may be signing the death warrants of hundreds of suspects who might have lived if Tasered rather than shot, because taking away the Taser option in the early stages of a struggle allows the situation to escalate out of control.

Why would a cop even use a Taser in situations where the use of a gun is also justified? The short range of the Taser requires an officer to get in the "danger zone" of an armed suspect. And Tasers are much less reliable than a gun in stopping a suspect: They have only four shots, whereas a 9mm Glock 17 allows 18 shots.

Only in an extremely small number of cases has the Taser been associated with a suspect's death. (The suspect was almost always on drugs and probably would have died anyway.) Cops even get shocked with Tasers as a routine part of their training, with no adverse affects.

Burnam should be recalled before he can do any more damage.

[JLK]

new bill
officers will use hugs and positive reenforcement instead of guns and tasers to protect law abiding citizens because it is not really the bad guys fault. he just don't know any better.

[Star Man]

Surprise surprise...

Here's some YouTube of this butthole:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDmmedWRDDM

It's no suprise to me that he is hanging out with the tree hugging crowd on Cindy Sheehans property in Crawford Texas.

He certianly doesn't project a serious line of respect in the stupid shorts all hunched over like he is during that terrible interview.

[bird1]

when police use of deadly force goes up they'll start saying cops are out of control. when a person comes at a cop with a knife we can say sorry if i had a taser that person would be alive but i used deadly force like i was trained to use

[spcwes]

new bill
officers will use hugs and positive reenforcement instead of guns and tasers to protect law abiding citizens because it is not really the bad guys fault. he just don't know any better.

Not in TX, more and more LE will have the maglite effect on people they are dealing with. The way it should be if you ask me anyway. Hell our Troopers to this day still weild that fucking thing like the hammer of thor. I can't even imagine how bad it will be with a bunch of pissed off TX Law Enforcement Officers, people are going to get their heads cracked.

I can't wait.

[mwstumm1]

What is the FOP doing about this?

[TXCharlie]

I know that our town doesn't carry Tasers (yet - it may affect them in the future) and our Police Association is non-political and non-public (bunch of pussies ). Seriously, it's such a small PD that if anyone complains via the PA, then the brass will probably guess the source.

I have no idea why they have not spoken out publically against this, though (I know the Chief is very anti-political, so maybe that's the reason).

[deputymeaux]

Hi guys...this is my first post, usually i just sit back and listen(read) but this Rep really pisses me off. It ceases to amaze me just how some people can look at our job and come up with some thing like this house bill.
Kinda like the old joke about the guy running a stop sign and gets pulled over....tells the officer that at least he slowed down for the stop sign so whats the difference......officer starts banging on his head with a nightstick and tells him......you want me to stop or slow down(something like that).
Maybe something like this needs to happen to our dear rep. Stand him up somewhere and offer him the choice...a Taser ride or a bullet.