Posted on 11/21/2007 11:58:07 AM PST by Sopater
An internal police investigation is under way after a formal complaint was filed against a Utah state trooper who was videotaped Tasering a man who refused to sign a speeding ticket.
The officer's conduct has been called into question after a videotape of the incident was posted on YouTube.
The video, taken from a Utah Highway Patrol dashboard camera, shows Trooper John Gardner using a Taser on Jared Massey during a traffic stop on State Road 40 in Uintah County on Sept. 14.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
Good thing the officer neither a) used lethal force or b) used any force because doofus wouldn’t sign the ticket.
He go the juice because he was resisting arrest.
With no signature required on the ticket- what do they do when people do not pay the fine or appear in court?
From the story:
"The Utah Highway Patrol has a nine-page policy on Taser use, including in instances where "a subject is threatening himself, an officer or another person with physical force, and when other means of controlling the subject are unreasonable or could cause injury to the officer, the subject or others," Nigbur said.
Now, I find the "when other means of controlling the subject are unreasonable..." telling. It appears to me that the officer had many other means of controlling the subject and just failed to use them. He opted for the easy way. Not good.
Frankly I don’t care; provide me the law that states that in this state’s particular code and find me where it states that in the officer’s code of use of force.
There is also a code of conduct each officer needs to abide by. Explaining to the individual that not signing would require him being arrested could have saved the individual a lot of pain, his wife torment, and would have avoided putting other citizens’ in harms way. This officer was a little to happy to use his toy.
Sorry, this one will result in the officer being punished. It will also result in a settlement with this individual.
I am getting sick of these stories and thanks to youtube and alike, we citizens are getting a good glimpse into the whispers of abuse by officers. Certainly, they have a dangerous job to do, and an important one imo, but with every job in every business and in every career there are good and there are bad. This officer is bad.
I wasn’t talking about the tazer. The guy looked like he was just arguing his case but who knows. My concern is the traffic. You don’t think after he had him cuffed he should have pulled him out of the road and put him in his car? He left him in the road and then turned his back on him. If the cop had been hit that would have been sad but if the prisoner had been hit the cop would have been responsible since he was then in his custody, don’t you think?
So the cop didn’t break any law, but did violate a gray area under administative discretion. Bad publicity, bad image, etc.
Plausible reason for firing, but might run afoul of the union.
This video aside, your attitude highlights why LE is increasingly distrusted and not respected by the public.
“I wonder in how many states are you required to appear in court for a speeding ticket? In NY you can mail in the fine by checking a box that says you plead guilty or you can appear in court to protest the charge.”
You get the privilege of mail-in tickets because you first signed the ticket that says you agree to the process. I bet if you refused to sign the ticket the cop has the right to haul you in.
Informative and funny, thanks.
You could tell the man wasn’t armed from the video?
The cop couldn’t.
He never even go the chance to search the guy before having to call out the taser.
Assuming that a person isn’t armed isn’t a longevity attribute for cops.
He would have his testimony, the radio calls, and the videotape.
That’s why they can’t arrest you for photo-tickets - you were not served in person.
When the officer pulled over the car and got the driver's license and registration that took things way beyond a photo of a car.
well, as his employer betcha Utah aint going to be happy with the check they are going to write the guy and his wife.
by the way, anyone wonder how the video got out?
i mean who released it?
Bingo.
It ain't rocket science. say "Yes, Sir", "No Sir", smile, give him your papers and you got a good chance of a warning. Act like an idiot (The guy in the video) and you get what you deserve.
sure. the cops are allowed to shoot anyone unless they search them to prove they arent armed.
not.
Again, a taser is chump change as a force tool.
Almost everything else a cop has, except harsh language, is worse than the taser.
He used his words and the guy wouldn’t comply.
What would you then suggest?
Any other level of force would have been WORSE than the taser.
The officer asked him at least THREE times for his license and registration at the beginning and the driver refused and was argumentative.
The driver was rebellous throughout the entire encounter.
While the officer was talking to the driver, the driver had his foot on the brake, perhaps thinking of driving away. When the officer wasn’t next to the car, the drivers foot wasn’t on the brake.
After the officer told the driver to get out of the car, the driver was still arguing and refusing to cooperate.
When the officer told the driver to stop, the driver insulted the officer and kept walking away.
Placing his hands in his pockets may have indicated an attempt to get or use a weapon.
The Driver must obey the officer and in this case, the driver is clearly in the wrong.
Even though the officer hadn’t yet advised the driver that he was under arrest, the officer was clearly in the process of placing him under arrest and the driver was refusing and walking away.
If a perp tries to shoot an officer before the officer tells him he is under arrest, that doesn’t prevent the officer from using whatever force is necessary to protect himself or to complete the arrest.
This incident is completely the drivers fault and the officer was in the right.
I do not approve or engourage misconduct by any police officers and I hold them to the highest standards and yet, I also realize the tough situations that they are sometimes faced with and the decisions they must make under fire.
In this case, I support the officer.
In a recent case where officers clearly raided the wrong house and killed the family’s pet, I support strong discipline against the officers because the house was clearly marked and they continued to harrass the residents even after they knew they were in the wrong house which was clearly marked.
In the second case, they had no warrent for that house and they committed illegal entry. They were voilating the citizens rights.
While the police have every right to enforce the laws and aer given great authority to do so, they are also given great ersponsibility to not misuse that authority either deliberately or accidentially.
You may be right about that, it has been a while since I got a speeding ticket. I don't remember if I had to sign the darn thing or not. I just remember that I could mail in the fine. My point is that it was over a crummy SPEEDING TICKET for crying out loud. The officer was out of line and so was the subject. The officer is supposed to be better trained in dealing with situations such as that. The tazer should have been the last resort. It appears from the video that he was way too anxious to use the thing on the guy. The officer looked young also. Maybe needs more "seasoning". This incident should guarantee that he gets it.
You're referring to the belligerent ass that got pulled over, right?
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