Cincinnati Police Officer Anthony Plummer is accused of tasering the wrong person in the wrong way. First, he allegedly tasered a woman who was on her knees with her hands in the air. Second, it turned out to be Celeste Thomas, 26, daughter of City Councilman Cecil Thomas, a former police officer who heads the council’s law and safety committee.
According to news reports, Thomas was a passenger in her own car while being driven by Demitri Washington, 31. Officers saw Washington hit the back of a city garbage truck and then drive away without stopping. It turns out that Washington did not have a valid driver’s license and was wanted for felony burglary. He was also accused of being drunk and resisting arrest.
Police officers allege that Thomas got out of the car despite orders to stay in the car. Officers said that she announced that she was the daughter of council member Thomas. While she was then told to lay on the street, police say she dropped to her knees and put her hands above her head. That is when Plummer shot her in the back with the taser.
Plummer was put on suspension and the department soon announced that “[a] preliminary review shows he is not in compliance with our standards and he is being investigated for unnecessary and excessive use of force.” While departments often prove defensive in such circumstances, the Chief of the department also criticized the officers as using excessive force on the council member’s daughter, here. The police union objects to the fast condemnation of Plummer.
Plummer has previously been accused of excessive force and has been previously reprimanded. He was even fired from the force once but reinstated after an appeal.
For the video, click here.
For the story, click here.
Makes you wonder what kind of police officer he was if he raised a daughter to date men that have felony burglar warrants out for their arrest. Then she lets him drive her car drunk and without a license. If that was my daughter I would taser her myself.
@anon 7:57 I see… but isn’t the Rednecks’ “plank” supposed to be greater Morality, Law & Order and Community than them thar big city folk?
Here’s a very funny (maybe) episode of Top Gear (Brit TV Show) not understanding how dangerous riling Alabama can be…
Top Gear – Rednecks in Alabama USA – American road trip pt 2 – BBC
hidflect,
Probably nothing will come out of this as Tarrant County is still Redneck Country.
Murder without “charge”…
Tarrant County medical examiner rules young man’s Taser death a homicide
The homicide ruling does not necessarily mean that anyone will be charged with a crime.
http://www.star-telegram.com/804/story/1565061.html
Bob Esq writes:
I think it’s time to ban taxers….
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I agree wholeheartedly. Let’s start with Congress 😉
(Sorry. I know that was a typo, but I still thought it was a good idea)
I think it’s time to ban taxers or up the ante on punishments for negligent use.
Roland,
I agree.
The government can quickly aggregate power through crisis and war, perhaps an explanation for why there seems to be no end of either.
The intimidation of individuals by government through its agents requires us to literally kneel submissively before the State, or risk extrajudicial punishments at the whim of the officer, and even death. One must show total contrition and act with total subservience, obedience, and inferiority at all times, regardless of the accusation or circumstances.
While I would like to think that there is some scenario that might focus the public attention on this force drift by law enforcement, you are right to be skeptical. A prominent person killed by an officer’s use of a taser will be blamed on drugs, a medical condition, or perhaps the fluke of a defective weapon. If all else fails, the LEO will still have followed “procedure”. The conversation may never be about the construct of law enforcement within the United States, or the effect on freedom in society.
Puzzling,
Unfortunately I don’t think the death of just any prominent person will do it. We allow conservatives to mislead our society into thinking danger lurks at every turn and we need these “storm trooper” tactics to protect us when many times the public needs protection from the LEOs themselves. We give up more of our civil liberties in the hopes of security and all we get is more doom and gloom rhetoric, more people in jail and more prison and security business flourishing. They hire lobbyist and the cycle begins anew.
Many of our “paramilitary” law enforcement agencies view the public with disdain and contempt and is all too ready to use “OVERWHELMING” force (i.e. abuse)at every encounter if they can get away with it. Why dirty your hands when you can shoot or zap somebody. Until we start turning over our politicians at every election we won’t be listened to.
Anonymously yours has it right, we need to have Barney keep his (9Volt no higher) battery in his shirt pocket til he has to use it.
A national conversation on taser use will not happen until death of a prominent person.
Until then, one can only hope that individual communities address abuses of power, although this seems increasingly rare as the police state shift continues unabated.
When it is time for the national conversation on tasers, part of the discussion needs to be about the effect public sector unions have on protecting members who perpetrate these abuses. From my perspective, all public sector unions should be abolished. Those who argue that unions exist to protect individuals against wage pressure, greed and alleged working abuses in the private sector are hypocritical to also argue that these same fundamentals exist within government.
Correction:
I hope he gets the same.
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Can you imagine an episode of The Andy Griffith Show and Barney has to keep the Taser in his pocket or some equivalent?
All of this begs the question of exactly how many excessive force complaints are required before it becomes apparent Officer Dingleberrry should be working at Wal-Mart instead of carrying a badge?
mespo727272
Imagine the reaction if it were someone else’s daughter.
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Don’t forget that this Cincinnati, OH and not Texas. I home he gets the same. Maybe the firing can be made permanent, this time.
“Second, it turned out to be Celeste Thomas, 26, daughter of City Councilman Cecil Thomas, a former police officer who heads the council’s law and safety committee.”
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Imagine the reaction if it were someone else’s daughter.