Recently uncovered video of a disabled British Columbia man being shocked with a taser by a Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer has sparked controversy and once again brought the use of such weapons into the limelight.
John Dempsey suffers from a condition similar to Parkinson’s disease. However, two royal canadian mounted police officers in British Columbia still felt that he had to be tasered — even though there is no evidence of resistance in this booking room scene.
The video was shot in 2004 but only released recently. Of course, they can be given credit for even preserving the video, as opposed to a recent story out of New Orleans.
The video shows Dempsey taken to a booking after he was arrested for objecting to the rough treatment given to a friend who was being arrested. He was already handcuffed when the police used the taser.
This video follows a series of Canadian and American abuses of this widely distributed weapon. Here and here.
The Russians have also shown such abuse, here.
For the video, click here
Interesting article on probable cause in WaPo:
GPS Device Aided Arrest Of Suspect in Va. Assaults
The detectives said they did not ask a prosecutor or a judge for permission to place the device on the van. They also did not begin actively monitoring the van until Feb. 5, when it appeared to be moving slowly through neighborhoods, Kirk said. “The person driving that van was hunting,” Kirk said. “Looking for victims.”
Leibig said the issue raises concerns about “the power of the government, that you can track anybody like that for as long as you want.”
Arlington Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Fran O’Brien said Leibig was using a “scare tactic, the ‘Big Brother’ argument.” She cited case law stating that “a person traveling on a public thoroughfare has no reasonable expectation of privacy. . . . There’s been no search, no seizure.” McCue cited the same argument in rejecting Leibig’s motion.
Mike Stollenwerk, president of the Fairfax County Privacy Council, said, “I think the courts need to explore this, and I would hope they’d find you at least need probable cause in such cases.”