Posted on 07/20/2008 1:16:07 PM PDT by LibWhacker
Officer Suspended For 5 Days
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- A teenager died after being hit with a police Taser gun for 37 seconds, and the whole thing was caught on tape by surveillance cameras.
Authorities said that Darryl Turner had been in a confrontation with a supervisor at work at a North Carolina grocery store.
When Officer Jerry Dawson arrived, he fired his Taser gun at the 17-year-old and struck him in the sternum.
"The initial use of the (Taser gun) is not in question," said Charlotte-Mecklenburg police Chief Ken Miller.
However, for 37 seconds, Dawson continued to use the Taser gun against the teen.
An autopsy revealed that Darryl Turner died of a heart attack, authorities said.
NBC Charlotte affiliate WCNC reported that Dawson was given a five-day suspension for firing the Taser gun too long.
"I wouldn't want to be (hit with a Taser gun) for 37 seconds, I can assure you of that," said Joe Kuhns, a professor of criminal justice at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. "It's a lengthy period of time."
Kuhns said he does support the use of the guns, however. "For the most part, their use has been effective. It has reduced officer injuries. It has reduced suspect injuries."
But a recently released National Institute of Justice study indicated that since 1987, there have been 300 deaths from the devices, also called conducted energy devices.
"There may be circumstances in which repeated or continuous exposure is required, but law enforcement should be aware that the associated risks are unknown," the study said. "Therefore, caution is urged in using multiple activations of (Taser guns) as a means to accomplish subdual."
Turner's family said they believe he didn't have to die.
"The officer was not confronted with circumstances that required the use of that type of force," said family attorney Ken Harris.
Dawson won't face criminal charges in the case, but Turner's family is considering a lawsuit, WCNC reported.
I just misinterpreted your last comment as that of the original poster.
That person implied they would like a relative of the officer to die.
Please accept my apologies.
However, I’m not sure what you mean by “using some great stuff...”
Well said!
“Says who? Is it in the Constitution or the Bill of Rights?”
....sez me....if you’re involved in an incident you shut up and work with the cop...if you do, odds are you’ll be on your way....come back with attitude and a smart mouth and it’s gonna get worse....the jails are full of wise guys spouting the Constitution.
You did, but you also mentioned “vigilantism” which is not accidental. You implied, by using the word vigilantism, and then mentioning children, the wife, or nieces and nephews, of the officer, you imply you would like to see them die.
Is that what you want?
I agree.
I do not hold the position that the officer should not face consequences, nor have I said so anywhere in this thread.
Nor have I said the officer did the right thing in holding the trigger on the taser down for 37 seconds.
If I have, please show me where so that I can correct it and offer my apologies.
:)
I see the two of you are on the same page...’boot licker’.
You sound as if you don’t want any authority over you. Well you either follow the law or you don’t. You get to choose.
You stupid arse. It a was not Publius6961 that asia this, it were I. And yes, accidents happen. Just ask the police when one of there own are involved...
If a civilian “accidentally kills someone it’s manslaughter. Why should it be different for the police?
My remark is more aimed at frustration that this police department is treating the death of a teenager as “failure to follow procedure”. Come on. This failure is negligence that resulted in loss of life. Was the kid acting like a fool? Of course. That said, the officer misused a device that is already known to have caused loss of life.
“Most police offices do NOT misapply the law, or our system of keeping the peace would not work”
Says You? What has changed in fifty years where LEO’s are no longer your friend, The Damocrats have infected law enforcement just as they have our schools.
You need to wake up!
Perhaps, but more importantly is that the current type of law enforcement officer typically on the street needs outlawed more.
There should be criminal charges filed against this officer, assault at a minimum and perhaps manslaughter.
See post #44
“Is that what you want?”
Like I said, I have always been a supporter of “an eye for an eye”. Trust me, That is not original. It goes way back...
If you harm me, You will suffer. If you harm my family, your family will suffer...
You got a problem with that?
You are just a boot licker.
You suggested that it was OK for the police to kill this kid with a device that they already judged to be malfunctioning.
If a doctor judged a defibrillator to be malfunctioning (broke), would you suggest they continue using it? And kill patients?
"It is your duty to comply with the directives of officers in dangeous situations ..."
Perhaps, in a "dangerous" situation it is the citizen's duty to comply, but the judgment of the officer in his claim that it's a dangerous situation should ALWAYS be open to question and review after the fact. This is not the same force you served on and I've seen too many cops abusing their authority when no such situation exists. I've seen cops create a situation and attempt to taunt a young kid to mouth off. I've seen it with my own eyes and I have 4 sons from 17-25 who are pulled over on a weekly basis on bogus claims about either 'loud exhaust' or 'couldn't read your plate' or 'your body kit is illegal' even one last week that said (and I quote) "I could see that you were ABOUT to weave in and out of traffic" (about to? wtf are they also psychic?).
"Also the reason we have tasers is that there is little respect for the law these days, or indeed for any authority, young people are not socialized to respect authority anymore, in school or at home."
While there is some truth to young people not being "socialized" as you call it to respect authority, to some small degree it's healthy to teach them to question authority when that authority is being misused. I think of the case in what was it Indiana? where the kid video taped an officer threatening to make up charges to arrest him on just because he questioned the officer's claims of speeding? More to the point, very, VERY few officers these days (including state troopers where I live) behave in a manner that warrants any legitimate respect. Sure they can command fear but that's not respect and it's not deserving of respect.
"Most police offices do NOT misapply the law, or our system of keeping the peace would not work, nor would it be the exemplary force it is nationally, admired by the rest of the world."
Sorry dude, this is not the force you served on. (oh and apparently officers' don't like to be called "dude" either as I've had my kids threatened for doing that as well). Daily I watch Connecticut state troopers drive 80mph on I-95. Every single day. I watch city cops use their emergency lights so they can just drive through a traffic light and then watched as they pulled into the police headquarters and casually sauntered into the office. Even seen one do this and turn (I kid you not!) into the local donut shop!
We have half a dozen members of the New Haven police force caught visiting prostitutes while on duty. Less than a month ago we had 4 officers who framed two brothers in NYC for selling crack or heroin (I forget which) supposedly made the sale directly to the officers involved but video tape proved the officers and the two brothers never had any contact whatsoever! All four of them gave sworn statements describing the date, time and location of the fictional buy before knowing there was a video taped record of that exact spot on that exact day and time. They simply picked two people to frame and were on with their day. We have at least 3 members of the Norwich CT city police caught dealing drugs. We have a state trooper in prison right now for murdering his wife and trying to frame another officer.... shall I continue? And I'm neither an expert on the topic nor someone who makes any attempt to track such instances. I'm just a regular Joe and these are real instances I can recall just from the local news. This is not the force you were on so many years ago.
And I'm sorry to break the news, but it most certainly is NOT my duty to obey any particular command by an officer who hangs out with the bunch described above.
Cheers,
Lloyd
No problem with that, but let's see the same applied to law enforcement officers.
“You sound as if you don’t want any authority over you.”
I don’t NEED any government authority over me. I live my life respecting others and go to Mass every Sunday. HIS authority is enough for me...
Why don’t you try that?
Yup, when seconds count the cops are only minutes away.
Most US cities could use about 75% fewer cops.
LOL.
Good luck to you.
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