The taser abuse stories continue to roll in. In the most recent case out of El Reno, Oklahoma, police stopped a driver who appeared uncooperative in getting out of the truck. They tasered him only to learn later that he was in diabetic shock.
As shown on the video, the man was wrestled out of his truck and then tazed. The man who was wearing a medical diabetic tag was in severe diabetic shock with blood sugar level of 11.
Diabetic shock often results in confusion, aggression, shaking, sweating and disorientation.
El Reno’s police chief said his officers had no way of knowing the man who was resisting arrest was in need of medical attention.
El Reno Police Chief Ken Brown defended his officers in saying “His actions, his demeanor, his lack to communicate led the officers to believe he was under the influence of intoxicants or narcotics.” With an attitude like that, it is easy to understand why people get tasered so easily in El Reno. Brown is ignoring the fact that the man was not resisting. His officer (following the view of too many officers) view the use of a taser was warranted when people do not get out of a truck when commanded.
This taze first and ask questions later is all too common with police tasering people trying to rescue loved ones, sitting in the wrong seat in football games, funeral pallbearers, dancing naked, and of course, just for fun.
Perhaps lawsuits over incidents like this latest tasering will create the deterrent that is clearly missing internally in departments like the El Reno Sheriff’s office.
For the video, click here.
mespo, without knowing all the details, I think it is safe to say the officer would have to be a complete moron NOT to know he was dealing with a brain-injured person #1 and #2, added to her futile attempts to show him what I presume is her medical ID medallion hanging on a chain around her neck #3 plus her longstanding presence and well-known status in the community as ‘THE Hula-Hoop-Lady'(of Granby Street)#2.
Unless, of course, there a suspected Copy Cat Hoola-Hoop-Lady in Norfolk..
This might have been averted by a medical ID bracelet, however, call me
‘a smidge’ skeptical.
An interesting Taser case was filed by Norfolk, Va, attorney Stephen Smith. Steve, who has made a career out of representing clients with brain injuries, filed suit in the Norfolk Circuit Court seeking 5 million dollars against a city police officer. Seems his client who previously suffered a serious head injury was accosted by the officer as she hoola-hooped in the median. She did this as recreation and carried with her paperwork explaining her condition. As the officer refused to heed her attempts to explain her behavior with her papers, Steve’s client became more agitated. The officer then decided to Taser this hapless soul. Read more at:
http://hamptonroads.com/2009/01/attorney-officer-felt-he-had-taser-hula-hoop-lady
“NOW TO THE IMPORTANT STUFF: It took A WHILE, but I finally found e-mail links to the El Reno city offices for the Mayor, Information Officer, City Manager, and Police Department. If you’re really upset about this issue, let these people know your feelings. Here are the links”
Couldn’t we just call Lt. Dangle?
Can we start the documentation or the legal doorway where we, the public, demand that cops do not use tasers at all. I have not heard anything good about a taser yet.
UNBELIEVABLE . . . the guy is barely conscious or unconscious, not necessarily cooperative, but certainly not a threat AND THEY TASER THE MAN? Geez, I’m surprised the “ambulance chasers” aren’t all over this one . . . I’d sue these dumb f*cks cross-eyed . . . and Dear God help me, I’m traveling in Oklahoma later this month. I PRAY that I have no random incident–yet, if so, hopefully anyone I potentially encounter has some REAL sense about them. Bottom line: these “Barney Fifes” need some education/training and some discipline.
NOW TO THE IMPORTANT STUFF: It took A WHILE, but I finally found e-mail links to the El Reno city offices for the Mayor, Information Officer, City Manager, and Police Department. If you’re really upset about this issue, let these people know your feelings. Here are the links:
Mayor – Matt White – mwhite@whiteinc.biz
Public Information Officer – Mr. Terry Floyd – tfloyd@cityofelreno.com
City Manager – Mr. Tony Rivera – trivera@cityofelreno.com
Interim Police Chief – Ken Brown – police@cityofelreno.com
These individuals may not understand or realize just how interested people (outside of their jurisdiction) are in seeing how this incident gets handled.
Sugar level of 11. That is absolutely insane, I’m surprised he was still awake.
From the video, it looks more like he was non-responsive and less like he was resisting. It also looks as if the cops were trying to pull him out of the vehicle while he still had his seatbelt on.
Time to send the cops back to taser school.
Shock em good for every wrong answer.
What is it going to take to ban the use of these tazers? We have a multitude of these stories involving the misuse of tazers by the police. This is a deadly weapon and should not be used to get someone out of a car. The saddest part is the police chief’s attitude toward his officer’s actions. Just once I want to see the police chief slam officers when they have crossed the line. I know I am dreaming, but I hope I am not the only one.(Apologies to Johnn Lennon!)