Police records show how and when cops used Tasers

[adroitcuffs]

Police records show how and when cops used Tasers

By John Curran, Associated Press Writer | September 9, 2007
BRATTLEBORO, Vt. --Stung by criticism over their 2001 killing of a knife-wielding man, police here turned to electronic stun guns in hopes of avoiding fatal confrontations.

Since then, Tasers have assumed a prominent place in the Brattleboro Police Department's arsenal, with officers using them to subdue drunks, would-be suicide victims and psychiatric patients, according to police department records obtained through Freedom Of Information Act requests.

"Before, using batons, pepper spray or hand-to-hand techniques, there's a high likelihood of some type of injury, both to the officer and to the suspect," said Police Chief John Martin. "This has been a phenomenal tool that has allowed the arrest -- in most situations without any force -- by its mere presence."

Full story:
http://www.boston.com/news/local/ver...tasers/?page=1


Of course, no matter the effectiveness of the tool, there will always be the detractors. Page two of the article makes multiple reference to the question of whether or not Tasers should be used on psych patients. I find it interesting that the very people who call police to solve the problem, knowing that police use tools up to and including force, become aghast when officers use such force. One quote in particular:

Mental health advocates and others are disturbed by those numbers.
"Our feeling is that there should be other ways of handling situations that require de-escalation," said Ed Paquin, executive director of Vermont Protection and Advocacy, Inc., a private not-for-profit agency that protects civil rights and human rights of people with disabilities.

If you feel there are more effective ways of dealing with an out-of-control psychiatric patient, especially in a hospital setting, then why would police response be necessary? Don't misunderstand me, I'm all for peaceful resolution, but if a "clinically-trained mental health professional" can't bring the patient under control, how is a police officer going to help without resorting to some use of force?

[PeterJasonMN]

You can't make whiny pussy liberals happy. Any show of power over another person is going to piss them off.

Re: EDP's and this situation, this is going to sound very un-PC, but if a person has enough mental health problems they need to live in a supervised setting, they need to NOT be allowed outside on their own in any way/shape/form.