YouTube - UCLA Student Tasered by Police in Library (Warning - Some Profanity in Video)

YouTube ^ | November 16, 2006 | You Tube

[beckett]

Oh...on this I did speak to five police officers this past Sunday. One Major, one Lieutenant, three Sergeants. Four of the five agreed with me that tasing, even in drive stun (which has the same voltage, but just doesn't use the barb. It's not a lighter charge, as you claimed above) would be UNADVISEABLE after a subject's in handcuffs, especially if three officers are present to control a single subject. Other pain compliance techniques should always be used FIRST, according to these experienced officers, and if a subject can be dragged to the car it's better than tasing him to get him to move.

The one officer (a sergeant), who said the tase might be reasonable for a handcuffed subject, qualified the endorsement by stipulating that the subject had to be a) big and muscular, and b) kicking powerfully, AND the officer had to be in distress, i.e., alone or somehow otherwise at a distinct disadvantage.

The subject in the case under discussion was not big and strong, and he was not kicking (he went limp). Also the officers present were not in distress or at a disadvantage.

All these cops said they're leery of tasers, and think federal legislation is imminent to control their use. The taser is convenient for police, but their use in situations where it's unadviseable, such as in UCLA, is also on the rise. The constitutionality of these pain-inflicting devices is highly debatable.