Posted on 11/13/2004 1:40:34 PM PST by freepatriot32
MIAMI (Nov. 13) - Miami-Dade police have acknowledged using a stun gun on a second youngster just weeks after subduing a 55-pound first-grader with a 50,000-volt shock.
In the second instance, a 15-year-veteran officer used his Taser to immobilize a 12-year-old girl who was playing hooky from school.
Police Director Bobby Parker defended the decision to shock the 6-year-old boy on Oct. 20 because he was threatening to injure himself with a shard of glass he was holding, but he said Friday that he could not defend the decision to shock the fleeing girl, who was apparently drunk.
According to the incident report, officer William Nelson responded to a complaint that children were swimming in a pool, drinking alcohol and smoking cigars about 11 a.m. on Nov. 5.
Nelson said he noticed the girl was intoxicated and told her to get dressed so he could take her back to school.
"While walking the girl to the police car, she took off running through the parking lot," Nelson wrote in his report.
Nelson, 38, said he chased her and yelled several times for her to stop. Nelson said he pulled out the Taser and fired when the girl began to run into traffic. The electric probes hit the girl in the neck and lower back, immobilizing her with 50,000 volts.
Nelson said he fired "for my safety along with the girl's safety." Paramedics treated the girl, who went home with her mother.
Parker said department policy permits officers to use the Taser to apprehend someone, but he said he expected his officers to use better judgment, especially when police had no plans to arrest someone playing hooky.
The first incident had already exposed the department to more criticism for its use of Tasers, which it has begun distributing in greater numbers to officers.
"The police could have handled this better," said the 6-year-old boy's mother, Kathy Rojas. "They did not have to shoot him."
Parker said that, in light of the disclosure of the second incident, the department will review its policy.
Even better. Fire them all, except for the one on-call for you, when you finally need one.
In the meantime, of the girl and her friends wish to party instead of go to school, and one of them drunkenly drowns, just chalk it up to "personal choice' and another victory for brainless Libertarianism...that is the kind that ignores the "responsible" parts, and only concetrates on the 'liberty' part.
We may not be our brother's keeper, but are damned sure his kids keepers, when he refuses to do the job.
That would be ok with me. I don't need them and I don't see any reason to pay them if they don't have better things to do other than tas 5 and 12 year olds
shot him 41 times, I guess in the blue areas of the country all that liberal stuff just festers in them, in the red areas of the country (Florida) we just use a stun gun to subdue them. Shot him 41 times, did any of the bullets hit the person? :-)
"Police Use of Stun Guns on Children Riles Parents"
"rile":
'cause annoyance in;
disturb, especially by minor irritations;
"Mosquitoes buzzing in my ear really bothers me";
"It irritates me that she never closes the door after she leaves"'
Only kerry would call out of control 6 and 12 year olds a nuisance or irritation.
(iow, good point. here's hoping the parents wake up and hold their children accountable. holding my breath ... passing out ...)
The fact that the girl was doing adult-type stuff at age 12 boggles the mind. I think most kids are sticks in the mud compared to that girl. Actually, I don't remember ever doing that stuff in all of my 42 years. Maybe I'm the stick in the mud...
Good point-As I said on another thread on the six year, It's easy to sit on the sides and comment, but the "The man in the arena" is the one that has to make and live with the ultimate decision
The 6 year old had a shard of glass...I do not believe the police officer would have tased the kid if it had been something simple, so I will give him the benefit of the doubt.
The 12 year old girl was not simply playing hooky...she was drunk and about to run out into the street where she could have been killed.
In both cases, if indeed they are as reported here, I believe the police took the measures they did to protect these particular youngsters from themselves.
Just my opinion based on what I am reading here.
I worry it's just me, but the news gets nuttier and nuttier. And the positions people stake out for themselves on the issues just get curioser and curioser. I believe children are individuals, that they watch and listen and look up to us. When we flaunt authority and trivialize common sense values we do them a great disservice in the long run.
Well . . .I can barely remember doing such things either but I didn't inhale the cigars and I certainly wasn't twelve.
Also, as I see it, the mother should take a taser to the ass for letting her kids get into this predicament to begin with, and then be arrested for neglect.
The officer should be commended....
Instead of automatic loser pays, each suit should include an automatic countersuit. If the countersuit found that the original suit had no merit whatsoever, then the original plaintiff would have to pay. Otherwise, the jury would just find that there wasn't enough evidence to make either side pay.
Bill
By your logic (actually your sophistry), we could condone the death penalty for littering because it wouldn't be applied as long as everyone "acted appropriately." The question is whether the Taser was a reasonable use of force given the nature of the situation. Running in the hallway at school is not "acting appropriately," but I suspect that you would be protesting vehemently if the school cop Tasered your kid for doing it.
These situations are a sign of decay in our society. Punishing the parents in an appropriate way might be a proper response. Tasering them is not "acting appropriately" on the part of our law enforcement/judicial system.
Bill
Children do not fall under this category; I don't care how big they are for they are for their age.
Abuse; plain and simple. Gross abuse.
The six-year-old had already cut himself in his rage, and an effort to subdue him would have risked further serious injury to him and whoever was trying to grab him. A shard of glass can sever tendons resulting in permanent disability, or sever arteries resulting in death. The taser put an end to the situation with no further harm to him or anyone else.
I think it's abusive for you to demand that someone put his wrists, eyes, throat, and stomach within stabbing or slicing range of a shard of glass weilded by anyone, even a six-year-old, when a safe and effective alternative is available.
Some people think this is OK....Then why is this not.
Woman Pleads Guilty For Allowing Cattle Prod Discipline Presentence Investigation Ordered
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1064712/posts
'Less' IS more; when it comes to an adult, taking down a six-year-old.
We might imagine; that having a Guard approaching him with a taser might have helped escalate his deperate response as well. Nowhere in this story does it indicate that any other measures were tried; including having a parent show up; or another trusted adult/teacher. . .whomever.
Or just the tried option of having to stay in a room with a Guard and/or principlal, who as adults; have more patience than a child whose emotions are out of control.
A delivery of fifty-thousand volts to a child; is an unacceptable option. IMHO. . .
Let me see if I got this straight, the kid is playing hooky, drunk, and smoking, and the parents are bitching about how the cop hauls the little truant in? I don't care if the cop beat the kid with a club--this lousy parent hasn't got a leg to stand on when it comes to yapping about how their kid is being done wrong.
Typical American perspective that even Freepers look at the cop's behavior before the parents'. Personal responsibility is dead, even here.
It's not like this cop shot the kid. It's not like the cop did wrong, because if the kid ran into the street then he'd be liable for letting her GO, since people would THEN whine about 'evil, unthinking police chases' or 'evil cops who don't even care about these poor kids lost in the city.' It's a TASER, for pete's sake, not a Desert Eagle. She got up. She got into the police car. Her ass is back in school. And maybe next time the little lush won't try to ditch the police!
Bump to that. JennysCool doesn't like how our cops do their jobs, we got enough damnyankees telling Floridians about how we don't do things right here already. Park your butt on the couch, JC, and stay home. We have enough whiny do-gooders down here already.
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