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 ...
When I was very young, much younger than the officer or the “customer” in this video, I worked as a customer service rep for a very large telecom. Many times when dealing with customers, either on service or billing issues, they would become outraged by our business rules or provisioning policies. I have been subjected to the most vile swear words and every other objectional “talking” you could imagine. Often times the customer would ultimately say, “Just disconnect my service, I’m done with you a$$holes”... etc. etc. To which I would happily comply. (just doing what the customer requested)
In our business many if not most of our contacts were observed. On several occassions my supervisor would remove me from the line and take me to the conference room for a review of the call. In 100% of the cases, regardless of the abuse, I was told to call the customer back, apologize for allowing the situation to get out of hand, take full responsibility for the esculation of temperments and do my very best to convince the customer to reconsider their cancelation of service.
Nine times out of ten the customer would themselves apologize, refuse to allow me to accept blame and would cancel their previous disconnect order.
It did not take me too many of these “grovellings” before I learned to not allow the situation to reach a point of becoming a “pissing contest”. I had all the power to disconnect the customers service (back when we were the only phone company in town) and they had no recourse. But, what was the goal?? The goal was to resolve the service or billing issue amicably to the benefit of the company and the customer.
To make a point of this long story, the cops have to realize that “most” citizens do not deal with cops and the issues cops deal with on a daily basis. What was the goal of this particular cop in this particular situation? Most people are not used to someone “having power over them” and them having no recourse. It is in the best interest of the cops and the citizens for the one in power, to exercise restaint and have more than just casual “I’m just doing it by the book” attitude towards the “unwashed”.
In the end the cops will gain the respect they deserve and the citizens won’t feel like they are being trampled on by the gestapo....
:)
Thanks....
susie
what information does your picture provide what the driver is doing with his right hand? nothing suspiciuos there....
Again...we aren't there. We can argue all we want. The frame you posted so intensifies the argument for the USP.
That was a REALLY bad frame for support of the driver..
Excellent post.
susie
The driver’s right hand is near or reaching into his pocket- how is the officer to know he doesn’t have a weapon in that pocket? This may have been an innocent act on the part of the driver- but driver is not cooperative and then reaches for pocket- dangerous gesture at that point. LEOs have to have situational awareness about movements like that. People need to be aware when dealing with LEOs to not do anything that they might take as a threat. If I am that officer, with an uncooperative driver and he is reaching in his pocket- I would feel threatened and that move would definately have a bearing on my next move- self defense.
That's the American Way.
No, he wasn't. He didn't treat that man with respect, he violated his constitutional rights, he terrorized a mother and her child, and he disgraced his uniform. All for some money from a fairly obvious speed trap.
The foundation of our society is the equality of all of our citizens under the law. The professionals among our law enforcement community understand this and control situations with firmness but courtesy.
This officer was wrong and demonstrated poor judgement and callous disregard for his responsibilities.
The kids have learned it, but it’s actually a detriment to teaching, since they waste lots of time asking questions. And I don’t mean important questions, I mean each child believes they have the right to be individually told every detail of why they have to do anything. That works fine for one or two kids at a time. It’s not so fine when you have 28.
susie
My opinion of modern education is even lower than my opinion of the police. The "educational" system that requires 28 children to be locked in a room all day is the problem. Schools as we know them are, like the police, a 19th Century anachronism, and should be done away with.
Gosh I’m sick of those kind of stupid posts. Home school your kids, I don’t care. In fact, home school your entire neighborhood. It matters not a whit to me.
susie
Tape helps good cops. Cops with attitude are not helped.
A lone officer, a young man not obeying the officers instructions, a young man walking back toward a vehicle the officer hadn't searched, a young man making movements toward his pockets when the officer hadn't searched the young man.
I would say the officer has a justified concern for his safety.
Could he have handled the entire affair differently and/or better?
Sure he could have but we don't have the option of do overs.
Your points are exactly what I was thinking, especially number 3 (3. He began to walk away from the cop (who couldn’t see one of his hands for a period of time). Combined with the guy’s irrational behavior, the officer had justification to use force to apprehend him.)
Another thing to remember is that a cop is under no obligation to argue with you about a citation. That’s what courts are for. I really like when the guy started telling the cop to “read me my rights”, like that means anything. For anybody who doesn’t know, Miranda rights only come into play when questions asked by cop are submitted for evidence in court. This cop really had no reason to ask the guy any questions that would be considered self incriminating and therefore no reason to be obligated to read him the Miranda speech.
You would let the driver proceed with no rstrristions...
A taser is an instantaneous instrument of torture. It may not kill you, but it's still an instrument of torture. So now the cops have the right to torture you if you don't sign a traffic ticket? All he had to do was arrest him, handcuff him. There was no need to torture him. I don't like the way the cops are using this device as a new toy. It's sadistic. But I guess that's the kind of person it takes to be a cop.
It should. Our industrial "education" system is taking in perfectly normal children, children brimming with life, curiosity, and potential, and turning out artificially-created, quasi-sociopathic ignoarmi. These propagandized, drug-controlled, semi-literate children are going to be running the world soon.
Homeschooling is fine, but it isn't the solution. The solution is to destroy the education industry and return to the "craft" system of small, parochial, classical academies. Step One is breaking the educational unions and eliminating their legislative lobbying apparatus in each state and at the federal level; Step Two is eliminating the state monopoly on public education by dissolving school districts and giving taxpayer education dollars directly to citizens in the form of vouchers. As with law enforcement, there is no longer any need for a huge, centralized government education bureaucracy; education, like police work, is best done on a small, local scale.
I completely disagree. This cop didn't waste time telling that man that he was under arrest and then didn't waste time warning him that he was about to fire the taser, either. Just shot him and thought it was funny.
It is very clear from the tape that this young man and his family pulled over immediately and furnished the documents quickly. The young man's only crime was believing that the police officer was honestly mistaken about the situation and that he could discuss it with him like an equal.
Silly guy, right? After all, we should all be treated like dope-smuggling escaped felon gang-bangers, just because we aren't cops.
Is that a statement made in stupidity, or do you really believe it?
my suggestion is to let it go....
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