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Original material is licensed under a Creative Commons License permitting non-commercial sharing with attribution.
12/24/08
12/24/08
12/24/08
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12/24/08
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12/24/08
12/24/08
12/24/08
12/24/08
Merry xmas.
12/24/08
For all we know he was acting in his self defense. Or maybe he did overuse force. The point being, we can't be sure considering the quality of source. So don't make such huge assumptions.
12/24/08
you could tell exactly what was going on by reading the captioning if you cannot understand english with a modicum of competence. the trooper clearly escalated the situation on his own, hoping to taze someone for any reason at all.
sorry, but the tazer is a bad idea considering a minority of police officers are too immature to use them only when necessary. it may be a less than lethal weapon, but it's to be used much like a baton... when physical force is required for compliance while providing a "buffer zone" for officer safety.
but based on the conversation and the desire of the trooper to quickly escalate to physical means it's obvious the trooper's intentions. a speeding infraction should never escalate to a point where a trooper physically pulls a driver out, pushes him around, and tazes him, just because the driver took a little too long to get his license and insurance out.
nothing says a trooper has to be nice, either... but they should at least be courteous and respectful until it is no longer warranted; the next person you bully could be your emergency room doctor.
12/25/08
All for being five miles in excess of the speed limit, and missing a rear plate. Thank god he stopped that dangerous criminal whose response when electrocuted is to lie on the ground and complain instead of cowering in fear.
12/24/08
12/24/08
We don't know how long this cop had been chasing this person befor ethey finally pulled over. That usually sets a cop on the defensive, b/c people do this sometimes to stash things and also to arm themselves. The guy in the car sounds like he mouthed off when the cop first walked up, which is why he stated why he pulled him over. When the cop raised his voice, there was a motorcycle+truck going by so I am guessing the guy said "what?" or "wha?", so he said it louder to make it over the noise. The guy instantly gets all defensive, giving the cop the Whoa Whoa line. He appears to have been digging around in the center console while holding some pieces of information, as the passenger says "Give him the license". He then starts refusing to hand over the documents while possibly reaching for something. So the cop asks him to step out of the car and give him the information. He's still leaning over towards the middle of the car as the cop opens the door, but does get out. The officer then starts to close the door, to prevent it sticking out int he roadway, and the guy reaches for him. He may have thought the cop was going to hit him and reached out to block him. The cop pushes him back and tells him to get to the back of the vehicle, so he can do what he has to out of the roadway, as you don't want to get into a shoving match with traffic whizzing 2 feet away, and he gets into a defensive stance. He then tazes him just as you can see his right hand start to move forward. The guy then goes to the back of the car, and lays down and complies with the officer.
I do notice the person seems to bring race into really quickly and makes it personal to the cop, which makes me wonder if he didn't have a chip before getting pulled over. I will say without being there, which is way different than watching it on video, and also the end of the tape not being shown, he possibly could have given some more warning, but this guy seemed to have a chip.
12/24/08
I don't know anybody that instantly has his license and registration in hand and instantaneously presents it to the officer as soon as the window is rolled down. It would take me at least 1-2 minutes. Undo seatbelt and get license out of wallet then look around in the glovebox for the registration. That officer gave him about 10 seconds then demanded he get out of the car, neglecting the safety of everyone involved. In fact, in my experience, officers clearly tell me to STAY in the car, for my safety and theirs.
That officer was acting like a tool and was clearly looking to start some shit.
12/24/08
12/24/08
And even if he was only going 5 over, it's legally termed a "chase" if the driver being pulle dover doesn't stop within 1/4 mile in a reasonably safe area. If the are ais considered unsafe, you put on your hazard lights and slow to slightly below the speed limit and allow the officer to guide you or signal you where to stop.
Cops have a stressful job dealing with unknown people who act like tools (like yourself). It isn't difficult to avoid these situations. Don't make aggressive moves. Don't argue (you WON'T win, at all, don't demonstrate to the officer that in addition to being untrustworthy with a motor vehicle that you're also ignorant and belligerent). Don't raise your voice, don't reach for the cop. When the cop stops behind you, he will run your plate, and call in the stop, giving you plenty of time to have your license and registration ready, in your hands, visible on your steering wheel.
People who can't comply with that sort of simple behavior are the people who are drunk, on drugs, in the act of cimmitting a crime, or are enraged and/or have a chip on their shoulders regarding law enforcement. These people get shot, get tasered or get pepper-sprayed, and they rightfully deserve it for antagonizing law enforcement officers and creating a danger to everyone nearby.
12/25/08
@rip: @vista64guy: @kickace: @RobotVampire: @r0b2186: I never said you must INSTANTLTY present your license and registration. As many people have pointed out, you have time from when the officer lights you up till he pulls you over till when he gets to the car. BUT, if you listen to the tape, the passenger said "Okay, Give him the license". He then says "NO" and starts going off on the cop. As I said above, it sounds like he was holding his license/something else, but digging around in his center console, judging by how you can see him. Your best action at that point in time is to get the person out of the car, and bring them somewhere where you can go over the paperwork to find the relevant document if he is having such trouble finding them, and also eliminate him being able to reach for something.
I will concede that while the drivers actions were not overt to the camera, you can see him push at the officer/door as the officer is closing it. He then gets into a defensive stance looking at the officer. You can see his right arm start to go up when the officer uses the Tazer. As I said above, our view is from a distance and a different angle than what the cop can see. Since he had been pushed once before, it is reasonable for the officer with his back to traffic to be worried about being pushed by a belligerent person.
I will say one thing for the driver. He didn't carry on like most people do after being tazed. You always see the videos where the person is crying and screaming in "pain" after the shock, but this man carries on a conversation with seemingly no trouble. It sort of re-inforces the point when cops tell suspects to stop b/c they themselves were tazed and know what it feels like.