A man at a concert, probably tripping, is naked. He ends of getting tased.
I’m generally against the use of tasers. And I particularly oppose the use of tasers as a compliance device. Especially when the suspect is unarmed. Even more so when the suspect is unarmed, naked, and there are three burly officers involved.
And yet, I think this taser situation was justified. Check out the video on Jennifer Lena’s blog. Be sure to scroll down and read Corey’s comments. He sums up my thoughts pretty well.
Once you accept that the guy needs to comply–either by putting on clothes or handcuffs–what are the police supposed to do? They can’t just walk away.
I love the taser. I’ve been tased numerous times, and I have no problem any aggressive/combative suspect getting a good shock treatment.
Sometimes conducting a mere spark check is enough to get compliance from a suspect. It’s a great tool.
@One Time. Do you consider a taser strike to be less harmful than a baton strike?
(This isn’t a loaded question. I honestly want to know how you, as an active police officer, think about the taser in relation to other non-lethal weapons).
@Corey Yes, it is less harmful. Smacking someone with a baton can lead to broken bones, blood, bruising. If you get hit with a taser, it hurts like hell when the thing is activated. Once the thing is turned off, the pain goes away.
I don’t buy this business of the taser as the cause of death. Even if the taser did kill a handful of suspects, more would be dead if the taser is discontinued, because of the fact that the baton causes more physical damage than does a taser.