Posted on 01/31/2012 10:11:22 AM PST by servo1969
A Montara man walking two lapdogs off leash was hit with an electric-shock gun by a National Park Service ranger after allegedly giving a false name and trying to walk away, authorities said Monday.
The park ranger encountered Gary Hesterberg with his two small dogs Sunday afternoon at Rancho Corral de Tierra, which was recently incorporated into the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, said Howard Levitt, a spokesman for the park service.
Hesterberg, who said he didn't have identification with him, allegedly gave the ranger a false name, Levitt said.
The ranger, who wasn't identified, asked Hesterberg to remain at the scene, Levitt said. He tried several times to leave, and finally the ranger "pursued him a little bit and she did deploy her" electric-shock weapon, Levitt said. "That did stop him."
--snip--
The ranger was trying to educate residents of the rule, Levitt said.
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
Women thug cops often use any excuse to use their weapons. They know they can use them more often because they are generally smaller and weaker and therefore have built-in excuses to use them where a male officer couldn’t.
Plus many badged thugs, both male and female, are just looking for any reason nowaday to test out their weapons on the public.
I caveat my remarks by adding the descriptor “thug” in them. Not all cops are thugs. I am discussing the ones that are.
Give an insignificant little worm some authority and it goes Gestapo on you. Too many (not all) law enforcement types have an unhealthy lust for power.
That would be hard to know at the moment. Maybe later on she learned he gave different info to the ambulance crew or after his attorney contacted her department.
And that’s exactly what he was saying at the end. she could do any of those three things without needing to hear from her “base” commander.
Actually the guy pretty much followed the script the ACLU has people go through when you’re stopped by a LEO. Especially one who is fishing for something to get you on.
Asking those questions - am I under arrest? Am I being detained? Why am I being detained? Am I free to go now? - are not just to harass the officer, it is to know what specifically is going on and whether you can leave, or why you cannot.
He may not have been under arrest but detained (a temporary state) but you can’t do that all day.
“San Mateo County sheriff’s deputies and paramedics then arrived and Hesterberg gave his real name, the park spokesman said.”
True. Not much of anything is said why she then continued to detain him, but, perhaps she sensed he wasn’t being truthful. His persistence in wanting to leave may also have been a factor. Although, he was there for some time. In any case, he should not have left without permission, since he had no ID.
Could be the person who wrote the “eye-witness” description was the person who was tazed by the officer and trying to cover for their actions. I’ve seen this done before on numerous forums where one poster will have multiple log in IDs and post as numerous persons to cover for themselves and give themselves support.
The perp and the eye-witness might be one in the same person. Posting so that it makes the actions of the ranger seem illegal.
There is no evidence the guy was truthful as to his heart condition either. He lied to her, gave his real name to the police. So what if an ambulance was involved. No evidence.
I don’t think so...
1. Not leashing two dogs as required
2. Knowingly providing false identification
3. Failure to obey a lawful order
4. ZZZZZZZZZap!
I don’t see anything in the article that discusses the time frame involved; it could have only been five minutes. But if he can’t produce ID and she suspects he’s given a false name, I’d say she’s well within her authority to either wait for instructions or back-up. A month ago in my neck of the woods we had a NPS ranger killed by a guy who didn’t want to stop at a routine tire chain checkpoint.
I get real tired of people who think they can blow-off law enforcement when they clearly broke and/or were advised that they broke, the law. He got what he deserved, no matter who was behind the tazer.
Rule: Treat law enforcemnt with respect - sue later.
If I were a lawyer, I’d be knocking on this guys door.
Sue her, sue the agency.
The officer's second problem is that there would have to be a record of her radio communication seeking to identify the subject if she knew that he had given her a false name (otherwise, how would she know?) Giving the officer false information (as opposed to just politely smiling) would provide the officer with reasonable grounds for continuing the stop,but claiming that the subject gave her a false name and that she majically knew it to be so would be weak under any circumstance, but is going to cost the government some real money in a false arrest civil suit in light of the presence of an unfriendly eye witness.
Jeeze, stormer. Are you singing the Scarecrow song? “If I Only Had A Brain?”
Just because it was an NPS ranger is no indication she has brains. It was probably the only job she could get: No brains needed...just willingness to confront those who HAVE brains.
Yah. Like that.
Civil matter or minor infraction at best, unworthy of a physical assault. Unless, of course, you love Our Police State.
2. Knowingly providing false identification
This one is much more problematic, although, one person on this thread has stated that California does not require production of identity on an 'order'. In any case, it's still not worthy of physical assault.
3. Failure to obey a lawful order
At some point, the order becomes unlawful. At that point, the person who should be prosecuted, is the officer. I might not have tried to leave unless denied counsel. I would have demanded IMMEDIATE counsel. I would have wanted my attorney THERE if the guy or gal tried to detain me without arrest for much more than, say, an hour.
I think that this trend to zap everyone, and the newest trends (to deny habeaus corpus or allow counsel) are very dangerous and are quite indicative of the trend towards a true Police State. Soon, we will be there.
4. ZZZZZZZZZap!
The answer of far too many officers, far to early in the encounter.
Did he write his name down? Did he tell her how to spell it? Without proper ID if my name is Paul and I tell them Scott then unless I tell them how to spell it that’s what I go by, and hell, that’s how I choose to pronounce Paul. This guy is going to get one hell of a check when this is all over, arrest me, cite me, or get the hell out of my way.
LOL!!!
Is that respect two-way?
Or will I get tazed for asking that question?
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz, let me crank it up a little more....there, how’s that feel!?
It is common knowledge, or at least it should be in these days, that LE or similar government agents can be aggressive. Smart “victims” should assess each situation on a case-by-case basis (better, avoid getting into the situations altogether), or face the consequences at that moment. It ain’t right, but it’s reality.
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