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11/17/09
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killing the[m] instantly? honestly... #tasers
11/17/09
I have a huge problem with the use of tasers being the default response for every situation. It is increasingly viewed as a proportionate response in every situation.
Somebody running off at the mouth? Tase 'em. Don't think somebody is moving fast enough? Tase 'em. Oh, somebody has a speech impediment? Tase 'em.
The exponential increase in the use of tasers is akin to the school bully who gives everyone smaller than them a purple nurple or a titty twister. They do it because they can and because anyone who complains is just being a crybaby. Aww.... does that hurt? Waaaaa!
It's an epidemic, and the legislature seems loathe to take it on lest they be painted as liberal hippie douches who put the safety of criminals over the safety of cops.
[Jasper]Talking out of turn... That's a tasin’. Looking out the window... That's a tasin’. Staring at my sandals... That's a tasin’. Paddling the school canoe...ooh, you better believe that's a tasin’[/Jasper]
11/17/09
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@00000000: Here. #tasers
11/17/09
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11/17/09
"alleged perpetrator" (I hate that word) ...
When the police are in a position to need the baton or taser the alleged is usually wearing his wife beater t-shirt and has finished off a case of beer.
Zap first ask questions later. #tasers
11/17/09
11/17/09
whew, thank god i wear thermals. #tasers
11/17/09
@nutbastard: That's why I only drink in a onesie. The cop would be too busy laughing his ass off at me to taze me and I could make a clean getaway. #tasers
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cop #1" I'm not taking him in my squad car"
cop #2 " you tazed him, you carry him, you know how long it takes to get the smell of wiz out of the upholstery?" #tasers
11/17/09
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11/17/09
in colleges, it's "don't haze me, bro!"
for native americans, it's "don't maize me, bro!"
you could threaten a snot rocket: "don't nase me, bro!"
or try to shave them against their will:
"don't raze me, bro!"
in an art museum: "don't vase me, bro!"
when dealing with an unaccepting orphan:
"don't raise me, bro!"
11/17/09
11/17/09
While being hit in the face, it's "don't daze me, bro!"
While being Steve Jobs, it's "turtlenecks ARE TOO 2009!" #tasers
11/17/09
11/17/09
For most criminals, when caught/confronted, the impending threat of violence is enough to compel compliance. For some criminals, actual violence is required to compel compliance.
They need more than simple law to compel compliance, or else they wouldn't be violating the law in the first place.
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The force of law is based on the trial system and the possibility of imprisonment. Law enforcement officers use violence as a tool to force an indicted individual to stand trial, but they are not the enforcers of law. If a tool existed that could force an indicted individual to stand trial without the use of violence, violence would become completely unnecessary in law enforcement. #tasers
11/17/09
Speaking from an officer's standpoint, we are not *supposed* to engage suspects with more than the force necessary to overcome the threat. The argument can be made over and over that the responding officer made the situation worse by his/her demeanor or presence, but let's face it: If you've got two barbs hanging off of your ass from a pissed off officer who has been disenfranchised by the very legal system he is sworn to uphold, chances are you've done something to deserve said barbs in the ass.
Happily, I've never had to use more than command presence and "verbal judo" to have someone comply with my instructions. If, however, I had to choose between spending weeks in a hospital after a fistfight with a PCP user and tasering that fucker into submission, I'd choose the taser.
I may not represent the majority of officers, and I don't intend to speak for everybody, but I know that in my head, I still have a romanticized image of the law and its application, and I definitely do not go into any situation with intent to cause harm. I live in a reactive world, not a proactive world. If I draw my weapon, it's only because my life or someone else's life is in danger, and I'm already behind the power curve. Again, that's just me.
Cue flamewar. #tasers
11/17/09
11/17/09
"A police officer in New Hampshire used only the amount of force necessary to subdue a dangerous suspect" can't be glamorized. #tasers
11/17/09
Fact of the matter, if a cop says, "don't move, put your hands in the air," then frucking dont move! And put your damn hands in the air! Too many people think it's their "right" to say, "screw you, I didn't do anything wrong, I'm not putting my hands up!" Well, if you didn't do anything then just put your damn hands up, let the officer control the situation, figure it all out, and realize that you didn't do anything, and you'll be on your way. Most people don't realize that cops have to treat EVERY situation as a life threatening encounter because, you know, that one that they DON'T treat that way... #tasers
11/17/09
Initially it was the article quote: "controlling for factors such as the amount of resistance shown by the suspect" that concerned me. Because really, how objectively can you control for that? Your comment though, about media glamorization (a concept I've conveyed in other situations many-a-time), reminded me that we're probably talking about a very small percentage of total law enforcement confrontations.
Every now and then a video shows up on youtube of a quivering college kid that had no business being tased. The anger I feel upon that kind of news tends to blind me to the fact that this is one of who knows how many douchey college kids that run afoul of the law, without inappropriate (read: newsworthy) incident.
So thank you @ThePaul. An enlightening moment for me.
And I completely agree with @ninjamurf. Officers have to approach a "standard" traffic stop very differently from the person being stopped. Every situation is a potential life threatening one when you're tasked to protect and serve. That's a reality more people need to realize. I especially like the part, "... let the officer control the situation..." Yep. No harm in that, especially if you haven't done anything wrong. #tasers
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so what, they miss 65% of the time? because as far as i can tell, getting tased has a 100% chance of causing injury.
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true true. cops and football players have a tendency to give 110%. #tasers
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11/17/09
i agree. it's impossible to dial in the right amount of force, and when it's your ass on the line, you tend to err on the side of excess, since the alternative could get you killed. #tasers
11/17/09
"'Scuse me, sir? I think you dropped this."
Oh, my. Thank you. It would have been a very long flight. #tasers
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I was kinda joking ;)
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