I do not have a problem agreeing with your five examples as to when a method of force should be used. What I do not care fore is using a taser to accomplish this. My point is, prior to tasers LEO’s must have had some effective way to deal with unruly subjects.
There is this belief that a taser is a more “humane” way to control a subject as opposed to shooting or beating the hell out of a person. I agree with this.
The problem is the bad cop taking advantage of this. This narcissistic control freak uses a badge to have power over others. He’s smart enough to know the public thinks beating someone with a baton is violet and cruel because it inflicts pain and leaves easily detectable bruising. So the bad cop will take advantage of this misconception and abuse people with a taser. Fact is, the taser is very painful. This is torture.
The vast majority of cops are just plain good people out doing a job they believe in.
Here on FR there have been numerous threads brought to life discussing cops that shoot dogs, taser people unjustifiably, shoot people or whatever. Many of these are truly bad cops. The bad cop I knew tasered people because he knew he could get by with it. There was no way this guy could possibly get fired as he had no LEO chain of command that could fire or investigate him.
>> the taser is very painful. This is torture.
Pain, yes. Torture, no. The big advantage is that TASERs cause neuro-muscular incapacitation. Since pain compliance (PPCT - Pressure Point Control Technique, etc.) is commonly used in controlling unruly subjects, the pain caused by the TASER has a useful secondary effect. In the old days, a solid hit on the common peroneal nerve would get anyone’s attention. But, the pain would commonly last for 5 minutes. With the TASER, 5 seconds and it’s over. And, with the TASER, the mere display of one calms most all but the jackasses (most recently persons of color stirred up by the grievance mongers) and those on drugs, alcohol, and ED (excited delirium).
>> cops that shoot dogs.
Ever been attacked and bit by a dog? I have. TASERs are so effective against attacking dogs that a police dog hit with one will NEVER attack a human again. It’s instant retirement for the K-9.
>> The bad cop I knew tasered people because he knew he could get by with it. There was no way this guy could possibly get fired as he had no LEO chain of command that could fire or investigate him.
Huh? No mayor? No city council? No ambulance chasing lawyers with time on their hands? There’s gold in them thar 4th amendment abuses of power! Do your homework:
http://www.aele.org/law/Digests/ECWcases.html
Before tasers were invented, police just shot suspects who were outside the reach of their clubs.