There is a call to ban tasers in Pensacola after a series of injuries and fatalities linked to the use of the weapons. In one of the most controversial cases, Victor Steen, 17, died after being first tasered by an officer and then run over by his cruiser. For the video, click here. A judge has ruled, however, that the officer responsible committed no crime in the death of Steen.
Officer Jerald Ard spotted the teen is a vacant construction site and ordered him to stop. When the teen took off on his bike, the officer pursued him and fired a taser at Steen through his car window in 2009. He then ran over the boy with his cruiser — killing him.
Here are excerpts from Ard’s disciplinary report. The report includes the following finding:
After reviewing the video evidence in this incident, I believe that the pursuit did expose the subject to unreasonable risk of harm or injury. At times in the pursuit, Officer Ard drove his cruiser so close to the suspect’s bike that it would have been difficult if not impossible for him to stop if the suspect fell from the bike. I also found it disturbing that Officer Ard attempted to tase the suspect on a bike as he rode next to him. If this action would have been successful, it is very possible that the suspect would have sustained serious injuries from the fall.
The teen was the fourth person who died in Florida in 2009 and the 57th such death since 2001. St. Petersburg was cited by Amnesty International as a city with the highest fatalities in the nation from such tasers.
The family is now filing a lawsuit in the matter.
Don’t forget the NYC cops have had to shell out millions of bucks for shooting people. Gadzooks.
And of course Shirley Sherrod is suing this Breitbart guy, who is not even as sovereign as a police force, and not funded by the taxpayers. Further evidence that Sherrod is indeed an extremely decent American, as has so sensitively been pointed out.
And it is also true that the police don’t have any money. That is why they keep laying people off.
“A call to ban tasers”
– This has been long overdue.
Cops: the fastest growing criminal class in America.
we are losing our humanity.
The officer applyed the punishment.
The punishment, execution by cop, certainly does not fit whatever crime the boy was going to be accused of.
It does seem fairly logical that the boy would have tired and slowed to a stop much more quickly than an auto.
Even a swat team and helicopter would at least have not killed a kid who aparently committed no greater crime than running away from a cop.
Give the cop a break- he meant to use his revolver. Sheesh! Buncha bleeding heart soft on crime libruls!
Tasering is just one more symptom of the culture of obedience.
tomdarch
1, August 3, 2010 at 2:47 pm
The person who is trying to further insult Ms. Sherrod may be part of the terrifyingly insane “sovereign citizen” cult. If so, this person isn’t a “republican hack” but instead, imagine the wacko fringe of the Tea Party on huge, simultaneous doses of meth AND PCP. ………….
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Okay … now that is seriously scary
“The “sovereign citizen” movement is a loosely organized collection of groups and individuals who have adopted a right-wing anarchist ideology originating in the theories of a group called the Posse Comitatus in the 1970s. Its adherents believe that virtually all existing government in the United States is illegitimate and they seek to “restore” an idealized, minimalist government that never actually existed. To this end, sovereign citizens wage war against the government and other forms of authority using “paper terrorism” harassment and intimidation tactics, and occasionally resorting to violence.” (ADL)
The person who is trying to further insult Ms. Sherrod may be part of the terrifyingly insane “sovereign citizen” cult. If so, this person isn’t a “republican hack” but instead, imagine the wacko fringe of the Tea Party on huge, simultaneous doses of meth AND PCP.
Back on point.. From the dash cam, it looks unambiguous that the driver of the car intentionally U turned so as to run over the kid. That’s just plain murder.
Dear fake “Shirley Sherrod”– You expose yourself as a Republican hack by your typical right-wing lack of compassion and whining about taxes. You should be ashamed to use the name of such a decent American.
That kid is dead for no good reason … it makes me sick!
How many people are stopped for riding a bicycle without lights? I agree with lottakatz.
“the victim was riding his bicycle without required lights.”
——–
That sounds like a post facto rationale by the police, just like planting then finding a gun is a post facto justification for charges. If the ‘suspect’ lives that is.
lottakatz
1, August 3, 2010 at 12:03 pm
After watching the video and reading the details of the case I can only conclude that this was a racially motivated incident that ended in a murder and cover-up that the judicial system was comfortable abetting.
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In my opinion, Lotta makes a valid point that is worth consideration. Since all we have is the officer’s self-serving testimony, and the video’s less than clear definitive picture … without the testimony of the deceased … we are able to draw such conclusions. The lawsuit might bring forth additional facts … perhaps even something about the judge.
Just to clarify, according to the judge’s order the taser did not make effective contact at all, and the vehicle impacted the boy later after he hit a curb and was thrown 18 feet into the path of the vehicle. I agree the chase and taser seem to be a massive overreaction. The officer really had no basis to suspect that the victim was the person seen on the construction site. He did have cause to conduct a traffic stop, as the victim was riding his bicycle without required lights.
After watching the video and reading the details of the case I can only conclude that this was a racially motivated incident that ended in a murder and cover-up that the judicial system was comfortable abetting.
Shirley… it’s called using public pressure to make the police responsible for their actions. If the cops are acting irresponsibly, then suing the police and the community is one way for the public to provide one step of control on rogue law enforcement officers.
As for tasers, once people understand that “non-lethal force” is still force and that the use of force has the potential for some consequence, then maybe there will be a more judicial use of the taser.
The family filing a lawsuit is troubling. The police do not have any money. It is the public’s money. It is the purpose of sovereign immunity. So other people are not paying claims on behalf of the government.
It sadly funny – Tasers were supposed to allow officers a non-lethal means of subduing suspects. But the concept that they are non-lethal has permitted many to ignore the fact that they are only mostly non-lethal when used correctly and certainly not non-lethal when used stupidly.
There is no doubt, as the pathetic list of abuses & misuse of the tool has grown, that many officers believe there are no consequences from using it & too many use it as punishment or without really thinking about it. Law suites are probably the only way this stupidity will be curtailed & then we will have to listen to the blue community whine some more about how awful the courts are and tieing their hands.
My husband’s father grew up on a farm and he said that slaughtering makes people mean, perhaps that is the occupational risk of law enforcement, police, prosecution, and judging.
Another teen I know personally, in probably ’72, climbed over a fence to steal beer from a country club golf course; motivated in part by being underage and unable to legally buy booze. It turns out the country club had armed guards, who I think were also teenagers, and they shot at him with live ammo. Fortunately they missed. This guy, by the way, is now a conservative adult.
Because of my lawsuit, I researched Colorado Intergovernmental Risksharing Agency. I think there are similar organizations in most states. CIRSA sells local government errors and omissions insurance that I think would cover that claim. Colorado Revised Statutes describe the reporting requirements to the state Division of Insurance for government risk sharing pools CRS 24-10-115. I think they should be available thru state open records act, maybe someone else can get them, I could not.
Fort Collins, CO bought government errors and omissions insurance from AIG. I think that might have paid for the Tim Masters claim for wrongful imprisonment due to withholding of exculpatory evidence (someone else’s DNA).
All the police departments have really formal written directions on every facet of their operations.
WHAT? Bike, Car, Police Car at that and a Taser. Besides bullets and graft was the Officer Loaded? The Judge? It seems like this is a little excessive, there was no one at risk other than the officer and his pride…..