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It's a Taser epidemic ... or is it?

Discussion in 'Anything goes' started by Steak Snabler, Apr 11, 2008.

  1. Steak Snabler

    Steak Snabler Well-Known Member

    Keith McCants, Carl Eller, now Al Reyes, all Tasered by police in the last two weeks, and that's just from the sports world.

    Is it just me, or is this more common now than it used to be? Or did the "Don't Tase Me, Bro" douchebag at Florida just make everyone more conscious of the practice (and thereby make every reporter sure to mention it when it happens)?

    Thoughts?
     
  2. bigpern23

    bigpern23 Well-Known Member

    Don't tase me, bro, probably made the public more conscious of it, but I wouldn't be surprised if cops use it more and more. Considering it's mostly non-lethal, I'd bet once a cop uses it once and sees how effective it is, he or she is probably quicker to go back to it.

    It's not like shooting someone, so there's fewer consequences. I imagine it's probably difficult to win an excessive force suit against a cop with a taser (especially since people probably deserve it more often than not).
     
  3. Rough Mix

    Rough Mix Guest

    The City of St. Paul will be the host city for the 2008 Republican National Convention. In an attempt to ensure a good time is had by all, bar time may be pushed back to 4AM during the Convention. Final approval is pending.

    The City of St. Paul has also purchased 230 tasers, enough to equip every police officer with one. The city expects to take delivery of the tasers shortly before the Convention. Welcome Conventioneers!
     
  4. Rosie

    Rosie Active Member

    I did a story on Tasers a couple weeks ago.

    After doing the story, I really think that Tasers have gotten a bad rap.

    Is the potential there for abuse? Of course, just like any other tool law enforcement uses.

    What's not being publicized are the stories where a life was saved because the officer had the option of using a Taser instead of deadly force.

    RM, where I'm at, pretty much every law enforcement officer now carries a Taser. If the department orders them, it becomes standard equipment for each officer, just like a sidearm or radio.
     
  5. Rough Mix

    Rough Mix Guest

    Just kidding around, Rosie :) I know a couple of cops in St. Paul. One worked Payne Avenue for a long time. I know he would've liked to have had one more than a few times to protect himself.
     
  6. Rosie

    Rosie Active Member

    Payne Avenue.

    Back in the band days. I was fairly new to the bar band gig. First time I ever saw a bar fight involving everyone in the bar.

    I was singing a Patsy Cline song. My keyboard player saw me hesitate and told me (off-mic) to keep singing.

    Ah yes. Payne Avenue.

    What really shocked me is they let everyone back in the bar and another scrum started about an hour or two later.
     
  7. Rough Mix

    Rough Mix Guest

    Another fight started up? Just another night on Payne Avenue :D
     
  8. Rosie

    Rosie Active Member

    Yeah, but it was at the same bar. :D
     
  9. joe

    joe Active Member

    Buried the lead on this thread. Who knew the board's mom was a bar band singer?
     
  10. Armchair_QB

    Armchair_QB Well-Known Member

    Rosie:

    I probably saw you perform back in the day.
     
  11. MacDaddy

    MacDaddy Active Member

    There's a really good column in the current issue of Car and Driver (it's not online yet) about Tasers, including some stories about their use in obviously inappropriate situations. And while individual police departments have policies about when Taser use is appropriate, there's no nationwide standard.
     
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