UF cops cleared for tasing jag-off

http://www.miamiherald.com/top_stories/story/283492.html

 

Where's Mr. Don't Tase Me Bro?
Probably deep into negotiatons with the law firm of Dewey, Screwum and Howe.

 

And to be clear, there is a difference between appropriate and lawful conduct and a textbook way to handle a heckler.

 

These cops messed up big time. The heckler was an idiot but that's the cops' job - to deal with idiots with as little force as necessary.

They escalated this incident. Every department has or should have its own 'use of force continuum' which dictates how much force you use in a given situation. Some guy yelling into a microphone while at a rally he's allowed to attend is not the same as a guy threatening to hurt himself or someone else.

It's amazing the power trip some cops take when you give them a weapon ... university police are often the worst because they have so many young ones who are at the height of their hot-headedness. They usually calm down after a couple of years.

 

As the guy who started the original thread, I still think the campus cops went too far when they Tasered the student. But hindsight has its practical applications -- Andrew Meyer wanted to steal the show, and he should have expected that it might not end well.

This story will probably pale in comparison to what we see on the election trail next year.

 

Talking is the first thing you do. If they tried to talk him off the microphone - told him he was being inappropriate and to step away - I must have missed it. From what I recall, they may have said something and then put their hands on the guy a second or two later, which was uncalled for - even for a cop.

It's why they're called 'peacekeepers.'

 

Pulling strictly from memory here, wasn't it fairly well established there was a lot more to the incident that wasn't on the tape? Like the guy had been an ass earlier, told he couldn't ask a question and Kerry finally let him ask one tacked on the very end of the Q&A time?

Without looking, it seems like I remember the guy was fairly set on being a jerkoff and had established that before the most popular clips began.

 

I think jagoff is one word.

 

Asked and answered: Kerry let him ask the question. And if he was warned ahead of time, what was he warned about? Not to be accusatory when asking the question? One could argue he was 'disturbing the peace' but I could also argue he wasn't.

I'm not arguing the guy wasn't obnoxious. I'm arguing that the use of force didn't fit the "crime."

 

It may be in the AP Stylebook, but my paper has its own style.

I'm not saying it's better (especially since we can't use win as a noun even when talking about a pitcher getting the ... victory).

 

He should be grateful they didn't go Radio Rahim on his ass.

 

My favorite part ...
Gwen Kaster, a UF religion major, agreed.

''They should have beat him with some batons while they were at it,'' Kaster said.


Yeah, I do believe Jesus would have said the same thing, Gwen.