Two Martinsville, Indiana police officers have been suspended after they were accused of using a Taser to subdue a 10-year-old at Tender Teddies Day Care.
The officers stated that they needed to taser the out-of-control child to protect themselves and others. An officer first slapped the boy before tasering him. It would seem that two fully grown officers should be able to control a ten-year-old without hitting him with 50,000 volts of a taser.
This is not the first use of tasering as a method of child control or learning, here and here.
For the full story, click here
My spousal unit works at an suburban elementary school & often has stories that leave me thinking “I’d taser the little bastard”. This is why she works in an elementary school and I don’t 🙂
BTW – every year there are 2-3, sometime more kids in this school that are taller & out weigh her. She has been assaulted more than once by the little dears with fists, desks and a metal filing cabinet drawer. None of that makes tasering a 10 YO OK to my ration brain but in the heat of the moment people might make mistakes & training might not be what it should be.
I do agree with the Queen of Sheba though, as officers have more non-lethal tools to use we should suspect they will get used a lot more often.
The following article relates primarily to ICE, but I’m seeing police abuse across the board from where I’m sitting — I’m seeing it personally, as well as professionally. Something has got to change…
Apr 5th, 2010
Posted by Joanne Lin, Washington Legislative Office at 1:22pm
End It: 287(g) is Beyond Repair and Harms Local Communities Every Day
http://www.aclu.org/blog/immigrants-rights/end-it-287g-beyond-repair-and-harms-local-communities-every-day
mespo wrote:
“Problem is, pete, the next time, 20 years down the road, when the officer tells him to pack his family up and move to some gulag, he might passively do that, too.”
Well said. And, what else might he be willing to do, if “asked?”
The story says that the 10-year-old was kicking and screaming and refusing to listed to the officers. Such behavior is not all that uncommon for children. To add injury to injury, one of the officers apparently slapped the child before tasering him. Can you say “child abuse?” Really sad that people like these two bums are called “law enforcement officers” and are given police badges to over-exert their power over people who are generally unable to defend themselves, like – perfect example here – children. I find that the administrative suspension is a gross under-enforcement of employment beahvior policies. I see several tort claims in this scenario: assault and battery, menacing, infliction of emotional distress, child abuse, etc. Also, a few against the city of Martinsville for failing to properly discipline these “officers.” Without knowing the ins and outs of Indiana state tort law, this clearly looks like negligence, at the very least, on the part of the day care.
the same thing will happen… suspended with pay… rarely fired and even if so, it’s easy for them to go to another police dept.
they’re never criminally charged!
FFLEO I remember those ads. They were in the back of my Sgt Rock and Our Army at War comics. Of course the guy didn’t tase the guy he just went out and got some muscles and then went back and kicked the guys butt.
Any cop intimidated enough by a 10 year old kid to want to tase him needs to go find a job he’s qualified for. They ought to be thrown in jail for child abuse.
pete,
I think the officer’s would have a defense if they could claim that the kid kicked sand in their faces, ala the beach bully in those 1950s Charles Atlas’ Muscle magazines I used to read as a kid.
pete:
“the next time an officer tells that kid to exit the sandbox with his hands on his head i’ll bet he does it.”
*****************
Problem is, pete, the next time, 20 years down the road, when the officer tells him to pack his family up and move to some gulag, he might passively do that, too.
the next time an officer tells that kid to exit the sandbox with his hands on his head i’ll bet he does it.
Becuase slapping the kid would have ben so effective. So when it escalated the kid, a taser made sense. I’d love to know whare the daycare owner learned about child development. Martinsville used to have local renown as a hub for Klan activity.
Don’t bark at police dogs:
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/westmoreland/s_673606.html
Just a way to keep order (no matter who we are .. a pregnant woman, a child, whatever) one zap at a time.
Can’t be too careful around young white boys though, Chris Rock warned us: “If you are white and under 21, I am running for the hills. What’s wrong with them shooting up the schools, they don’t even wait till 3 o’clock either.”
Those officers better watch they back is what I’m thinking….
Unless this child was unusually “large” – I’m talking Andre The Giant large – for his age, I cannot find any logical reason in which the police would need to taser him.
Never mind suspending these taser-happy cowards, they should be FIRED.
Sick and shameful.
The more “non leathal” weaponry made available to law enforcement such as rubber bullets, tasers, etc., the more officers use such weapons in situations where they don’t appear to be necessary. In addition, more and more of these weapons prove repeatedly that they are indeed lethal in many circumstances.
I don’t know whether the rate of use of such weapons is because of the “gee whiz” aspect of new gadgetry or whether law enforcement types are somehow convinced that individuals are more dangerous now than at any other time in human history. Or maybe officers are lacking the patience, ability or training to deal with suspected troublemakers any other way.
For many years I have believed that people enter law enforcement work because they have problems with control and power, and cynical and jaded as such an opinion may be, stories such as this just reinforce my perception. Unless this child was brandishing a weapon at the police, there is absolutely no reason for using a taser to subdue him.
Did they ask the child if he wanted Fry’s with that? Zap, they really slapped the child first? WHAT?
Disgusting behavior … no public, taxpayer supported, pensions for those big, brave bullies.
I’m certain they can find employment in other sectors of this society … somebody is always in need of men skilled in strong-arming.