View Full Version : I think this cop is in trouble........
AVGWarhawk
11-21-07, 02:45 PM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMaMYL_shxc&eurl=http://www.sltrib.com/ci_7523456
Watch the video..............is he over his bounds with excessive force? I'm thinking yes.............
Holy crap. This video made me furious. I hope someone can give us an update on what happens to Adolf Trooper after this outrage.
Looks like someone who'll be hustlin' corn nuts at the Pigly Wiggly in the future to me. What a P***k.
waste gate
11-21-07, 03:26 PM
This is why one shouldn't trust the police. I'm not supprised at the officers behavior but I am outraged by it. The police officer should be in jail for assault.
Another good reason for an armed populace.
AVGWarhawk
11-21-07, 03:33 PM
I suspect he will be picking trash up along the same route he did this little number. All of this over a speeding ticket.
Yep. And the guy did have a right to know what he was signing, how fast he was going etc. Cops like this make the lives of good Policemen much more difficult.
Unfortunately, it seems there is an increase in more Rambo attitudes getting into law enforcement these days...
AVGWarhawk
11-21-07, 03:43 PM
I reviewed this again. After he is down, he asks why and the cop says.'You did not sign the ticket and did not follow my instructions.' Uh, not signing the ticket requires 50000 volts to pass throw your body? WTH? Not only that, the guy did turn around but had his head turned back asking what is wrong with him. Taser soon to follow.
Furthermore, if you listen closely the cop is getting aggressive with the driver the first time he approaches the car. You can hear it in his voice. This cop is a loose cannon and needs to be polishing the cruisers hub caps and kept away from guns/tasers.
waste gate
11-21-07, 03:50 PM
I reviewed this again. After he is down, he asks why and the cop says.'You did not sign the ticket and did not follow my instructions.' Uh, not signing the ticket requires 50000 volts to pass throw your body? WTH? Not only that, the guy did turn around but had his head turned back asking what is wrong with him. Taser soon to follow.
Furthermore, if you listen closely the cop is getting aggressive with the driver the first time he approaches the car. You can hear it in his voice. This cop is a loose cannon and needs to be polishing the cruisers hub caps and kept away from guns/tasers.
The cop also lies about when he placed him under arrest. He (the cop) knows it too. Miranda wasn't given even after being asked for. I see a big law suit. The chief of police should also be fired.
Someone in the department didn't like it either or we wouldn't be seeing this vid.
Signing a traffic ticket is not an admission of guilt. It is a promise to either pay the fine or appear in court later on to answer the charge. Remember ,ALL violations of the law regardless of severity subject the perpetrator(s) to arrest by civil authority.
For that particular violation a signed promise to appear in court (or pay) is good enough for the police to justify releasing you on your own recognizance until then. On the other hand refusing to sign forces the cop to ensure your presence in court by arresting you.
Now as the cop attempts to arrest the guy, notice that he puts his hands in his pocket and begins moving back to his vehicle, maybe going for a gun or other weapon or maybe intending to drive away who knows? But by doing that he was resisting the cops attempt to arrest him which elevates the situation from a misdemeanor to a felony.
The sad thing about this is the guys own actions elevated the situation from probably just a warning.
Excessive force? Eh, easy for us to say when we're not the ones having to decide in a split second what to do.
Having said all that though, Utah cops suck.
He has to tell the guy what he is signing though. I wouldn't sign anything just because a policeman told me to.
AVGWarhawk
11-21-07, 04:15 PM
I reviewed this again. After he is down, he asks why and the cop says.'You did not sign the ticket and did not follow my instructions.' Uh, not signing the ticket requires 50000 volts to pass throw your body? WTH? Not only that, the guy did turn around but had his head turned back asking what is wrong with him. Taser soon to follow.
Furthermore, if you listen closely the cop is getting aggressive with the driver the first time he approaches the car. You can hear it in his voice. This cop is a loose cannon and needs to be polishing the cruisers hub caps and kept away from guns/tasers.
The cop also lies about when he placed him under arrest. He (the cop) knows it too. Miranda wasn't given even after being asked for. I see a big law suit. The chief of police should also be fired.
Someone in the department didn't like it either or we wouldn't be seeing this vid.
Actually his pregnant girl friend got the tapes from the sheriffs office and posted on the net.
waste gate
11-21-07, 04:25 PM
I reviewed this again. After he is down, he asks why and the cop says.'You did not sign the ticket and did not follow my instructions.' Uh, not signing the ticket requires 50000 volts to pass throw your body? WTH? Not only that, the guy did turn around but had his head turned back asking what is wrong with him. Taser soon to follow.
Furthermore, if you listen closely the cop is getting aggressive with the driver the first time he approaches the car. You can hear it in his voice. This cop is a loose cannon and needs to be polishing the cruisers hub caps and kept away from guns/tasers.
The cop also lies about when he placed him under arrest. He (the cop) knows it too. Miranda wasn't given even after being asked for. I see a big law suit. The chief of police should also be fired.
Someone in the department didn't like it either or we wouldn't be seeing this vid.
Actually his pregnant girl friend got the tapes from the sheriffs office and posted on the net.
Thanks for the clarification AVGWarhawk. This is an outrage if nothing else the cop shot the man in the back. How much of a threat could he have been. I hope the couple saved the shirt with the wholes and the burn marks.
mookiemookie
11-21-07, 04:28 PM
But by doing that he was resisting the cops attempt to arrest him which elevates the situation from a misdemeanor to a felony.
Tasers are not compliance devices. They are a less than lethal alternative to shooting someone. This cop was way over the line.
waste gate
11-21-07, 04:32 PM
Back in 1991, my last speeding ticket, I was also asked to sign the summons. The officer explained that it was nothing more than a confirmation of issue. I still refused to sign the summons. The cop simply wrote in the place for my signature that I refused to sign. No out of the vehicle, no taser, no arrest.
XabbaRus
11-21-07, 04:39 PM
No rights were read or explanation. It is a clear case of abuse of power.
AVGWarhawk
11-21-07, 05:30 PM
Back in 1991, my last speeding ticket, I was also asked to sign the summons. The officer explained that it was nothing more than a confirmation of issue. I still refused to sign the summons. The cop simply wrote in the place for my signature that I refused to sign. No out of the vehicle, no taser, no arrest.
Exactly! You can refuse to sign. Usually this is taken into consideration when you do arrive to court. Clearly abuse of power in my opinion. The man had his back turned. I believe this officer needs to be pulled from the streets. The new update is he is still working his beat on the same highway.
waste gate
11-21-07, 06:04 PM
Back in 1991, my last speeding ticket, I was also asked to sign the summons. The officer explained that it was nothing more than a confirmation of issue. I still refused to sign the summons. The cop simply wrote in the place for my signature that I refused to sign. No out of the vehicle, no taser, no arrest.
Exactly! You can refuse to sign. Usually this is taken into consideration when you do arrive to court. Clearly abuse of power in my opinion. The man had his back turned. I believe this officer needs to be pulled from the streets. The new update is he is still working his beat on the same highway.
Hell, I didn't go to court for it. I paid the fine (around $70 as I recall) and that was the end of it.
The guy should have yelled 'Don't tase me man'!!
And policemen wonder why the public call them pigs and have no trust in them.
I wouldn't piss on that guy if he was on fire.
"Tasers are not compliance devices" damn right, shame most policemen I've seen in these cases seem completely unaware of this fact. They are an alternative to lethal force - had that cop not had a tazer, would he have drawn his gun and shot the guy dead? You bet your arse he wouldn't have. Shooting a guy over a speeding ticket? No way. So how is tazering someone in the same situation any different? What if the guy had a pacemaker? Oh sorry judge the suspect refused to sign this bit of paper for speeding because I didn't explain the proceedure like I'm supposed to.
It's not the worst case I've seen by far, but that doesn't excuse it.
On more than one occasion I have been confronted by zealous policemen who clearly over steped the boundry of what is reasonable; in the UK you get what's called a 'producer' to attend a police station of your choice with the appropriate vehicle registration documents, insurance etc. I never carry these on the principal that they are too valuble to be left in a car or carried about in my back pocket. Yet because I have long hair and get stoped in the early hours of the morning I was considered guilty "look, I know you don't have insurance, so why not come clean now, it'll make it easier on you in the long run' - this from 2 cops whilst I am locked in the back of a squad car for half an hour whilst they tried to verbally trick me into 'fessing up'. They wern't very pleasant about it either. But what can you do?
That wouldn't happen these days with the vehicle check database :yep: we all know how infallible computers are... "but I have insurance and a license officer..." " Computer says nooo..." zzzztt! aargh!
As a child I was always brought up to respect the police, but these days I wouldn't trust any of them as far as I could spit. I learned, when I was old enough to understand such things, that 'respect' was something that had to be earned. Police these days seem to do very little to earn the respect of the public and they are supprised when they receive such open hostility from ordinary folk and criminals alike. It sure says a lot about the way things are these days. Sure they have a difficult, thankless job, but that's no reason to treat everybody like a criminal and assume guilt based on them being a copper and you being some poor mug joe public who has to cow-tow to them 'or else'.
At least the fellow getting the ticket wasn't this guy:
http://news.google.co.uk/news?q=polish+man+tasered+to+death+in+airport&hl=en&safe=off&client=firefox-a&channel=s&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&hs=Gld&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=X&oi=news_result&resnum=4&ct=title
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPCgwCS3viQ
http://www.thestar.com/News/article/276565
KeptinCranky
11-21-07, 06:59 PM
Wow, captain Sparky was clearly very very hyped up on something, maybe he should go easier on the coffee:huh:
Oddest bit is that at the end he explains the situation to the other cop on camera...weird
This sort of thing makes me glad I don't live in the US, cops are way less paranoid here with traffic violations because they know everyone they pull over WON'T be armed and dangerous.
what's with getting people out of their car for a speeding offence anyway? why even bother, just fine the guy, follow him for a couple of miles and move on. Is it something woth state law versus federal law or some such?
Nevertheless, this cop was out of line, I'm sure the lawyers are circling already...
Tomorrows police are now today. :nope:
In sweden you just don't become a cop like that, apart from school, you have to meet a psychologist and if she/he see that you have to much "Rambo" inside, you can forget all about being a cop.
Markus
AVGWarhawk
11-21-07, 07:39 PM
In sweden you just don't become a cop like that, apart from school, you have to meet a psychologist and if she/he see that you have to much "Rambo" inside, you can forget all about being a cop.
Markus
They do the same in the states. I went to University of Maryland and received my degree in Criminal Justice.(really just 4 years of heavy drinking and parties:p ) I applied to the Montgomery County Police Department. I had to take a lie detector test, oral exam, written exam and psychological exam. When I hit the physical eye exam, I got nixed. The rule is 20/70 vision if my glasses are off. I did not make that grade and was summarily dismissed. Just as well, watching a few episodes of COPS made me glad I did not pass the eye exam. Even so, clever Rambos can get by and some that are not Rambos become Rambos later on when they are behind the badge.
In all reality, the cop in this instance lost control of the traffic stop. It seemed to me he became agitated with the driver and in turn acted out the agitation. He should have stayed calm and explained in calming voice why the driver was stopped. He took the other route and took on the challenge knowing full well he held the all cards. He decided to call his hand and used undo force. The is nothing in that video that would indicate the officer was in control of the traffic stop and what was learned before hitting the streets to enforce the law was not adhered to. He can hear the officer telling the second officer that the driver thought he was in control of the traffic stop. Your first contact with the driver is the time to set the tone of the traffic stop. In LESS than a minute, the officer lost control of the stop which escalated into what we have witnessed.
Ducimus
11-21-07, 11:00 PM
The force was a tad excessive, but overall, id have to side with the cop.
-, the guy was a smart ass.
- you don't argue with the cops. They're already edgy from dealing with alot of scumbags. They give you an instruction, you do it promptly, and precisely unless it places you in iniment danger, you can argue about it later in court.
- The trooper told him FOUR TIMES to turn around and put his hands behind his back. FOUR, and he still continued to not comply. Probably in self arrogance that no matter what, he was right and the cop was wrong. The fact that the trooper held a taser AT him, should be warning enough, combine that with 4 verbal warnings.
- he put his hands in his pockets and walked towards the car. BIG NO NO. Cops have a hand fetish. They want to see what your hands are doing at all times. Hands are dangerous because they can hold things like guns and knives. cops have the same allergy to cold steel and hot lead that we do.
Here is where i have my disagreement. In retrospect, he should have just put him in an arm lock that disables you and forces you to the ground (they're trained to do that, and it hurts like hell, but its definatly no taser),
Only thing the cop didn't say, was how fast the guy was going. he did say why he pulled him over, but didnt say how much over the speed limit. He did tell him why he was arresting him. He was right in the arrest, but wrong in the method used.
Now all that said, this cop was strung out and needs to go on vacation. One thing ive learned during my stint in the service is, the badge and the uniform give him the authority, you have to respect that. But the man inside the uniform is another story. Some of them are strung out, some of them are not. Its not a case of, legality, its a case of judging human character. You can see it in the mans eyes, and that tells you what you can, or cannot do, or what he will, or will not tolerate. Thats a here and now judgement call, you can argue the rest in court later.
The force was a tad excessive, but overall, id have to side with the cop.
-, the guy was a smart ass.
That is not an excuse to teaser some on or even escalate the situation to an unnecessary arrest.
- you don't argue with the cops. They're already edgy from dealing with a lot of scumbags. They give you an instruction, you do it promptly, and precisely unless it places you in eminent danger, you can argue about it later in court.
Cops should know better they don't need to argue back. The drive stated he did not know the limit was 40 (The max limit in Utah is 75 one of the highest in the US) and was driving at 68. It seemed like a genuine case of knot knowing the speed limit dropped. At the start of the video you can clearly see a 40 mph construction sign. The office actually pulls over in front of it and quite possible obstructs the view. When driver exited the vehicle he wanted to see the sign and thought the officer was going to show it to him.
- The trooper told him FOUR TIMES to turn around and put his hands behind his back. FOUR, and he still continued to not comply. Probably in self arrogance that no matter what, he was right and the cop was wrong. The fact that the trooper held a taser AT him, should be warning enough, combine that with 4 verbal warnings.
It appears he was in shock. First he tells him to put his hands behind his back before saying hes was arrested. In fact he never says he ins under arrest. When an officer pulls a gun on you when you have no weapons and are not physically being aggressive it throw you off guard. It appears he turns his body and walks away instinctively.
- he put his hands in his pockets and walked towards the car. BIG NO NO. Cops have a hand fetish. They want to see what your hands are doing at all times. Hands are dangerous because they can hold things like guns and knives. cops have the same allergy to cold steel and hot lead that we do.
The officer had already pulled the teaser before his hands went into his pocket. and fires before hands hands leave has pocket.
The officer takes an aggressive attitude throughout the ordeal up until the other office arrives on scene. He then has the nerve to joke about teasering him.:nope:
After that he than performs an illegal search hoping to find drugs or a weapon to cover his ass.
It all started with the officer refusing to answer questions and trying to force the driver to sign. I don't know the law in Utah but in Florida the driver has the right to ask any questions before signing and officer must make sure the driver understands everything thing before allowing him to sign.
Know he may have done it after the video cut off but the at now time did he tell him what he was arrested for. He even asked to be mirandized and the officer refused that starts to fall under the lines of illegal detainment.
There is no excuse for the officers actions :down:.
If it was me i would have demanded an ambulance, his supervisor and a lawyer before letting the officer take me to jail. I hope the driver sues the officer and the department for every thing he can think of.
Now here's an officer who knows how to keep his cool. ;)
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=GHZMoPV1rog
Now here's an officer who knows how to keep his cool. ;)
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=GHZMoPV1rog
"bye"
:rotfl:
:up::up::up:
There's a true role model. Really puts the guy in that first video to shame.
Ducimus
11-22-07, 04:11 AM
The bottom line in any altercation where force is used, is that the public is almost always sided against the cop. Its just a given. I have to wonder if Taser's are a bit overhyped in what level of force they are considered. Their basically a ranged stun gun. yeah i imagine it hurts like hell, but the real question to me is, how much acutal bodily harm does it do? Aparently not much, the guy was up and walking about a minute later.
Now i still say the cop was a dick long overdue for a vaction. But i also think that civy was an arrogant punk. If he had been less of a punk, he woudlnt have been jacked up.
Kapitan_Phillips
11-22-07, 05:08 AM
I dont like how people are now starting to generalise all cops. In any public service profession you'll get *******s with playing cards in their hats and an itchy finger. However, the vast majority of cops do quite a good job, and you Americans should be proud of that. Look what we have here - a couple guys who'll slap your wrist for a murder and make you pick litter up for a few months.
VipertheSniper
11-22-07, 06:34 AM
Now here's an officer who knows how to keep his cool. ;)
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=GHZMoPV1rog
Man for the three or more "*sshole" you can be assured you pay atleast 21€ more.
AVGWarhawk
11-22-07, 06:39 AM
Now here's an officer who knows how to keep his cool. ;)
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=GHZMoPV1rog
The Trooper is in control the entire time. He looked like a darn big dude who could bend you into a pretzel:o. I think I would have signed and moved on myself. He let the man vent for his 4 minutes and never took a defensive posture possible letting this escalate into an arrest.
AVGWarhawk
11-22-07, 06:42 AM
Now here's an officer who knows how to keep his cool. ;)
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=GHZMoPV1rog
Man for the three or more "*sshole" you can be assured you pay atleast 21€ more.
This is were you 'feelings getting hurt' should not muddle your judgment. Street level justice should be based on what you know and what the law states.
AVGWarhawk
11-22-07, 06:46 AM
I dont like how people are now starting to generalise all cops. In any public service profession you'll get *******s with playing cards in their hats and an itchy finger. However, the vast majority of cops do quite a good job, and you Americans should be proud of that. Look what we have here - a couple guys who'll slap your wrist for a murder and make you pick litter up for a few months.
There are good cop/bad cop forces out there. All in all they do a great job and quite frankly their job sucks. Verbal abuse, physical abuse and mental toll after witnessing bad things. They do see some crazy crap. Even so, they must tackle everyday with their head on straight.
Now here's an officer who knows how to keep his cool. ;)
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=GHZMoPV1rog
:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:
Makes me glad I just work in police dispatch and not actually out on the streets.
After that he than performs an illegal search hoping to find drugs or a weapon to cover his ass.
Officers have the right to search your vehicle when they pull you over. It doesn't matter if it's for speeding, an illegal U-turn, or having a headlight out.
Other than that, I'm going to have to side with Ducimus here. He was told he passed notl only that 40mph sign seen in the vidoe but also another one farther back. The kid was warned multiple times to comply, yet he didn't comply and started walking back towards the vehicle. How does the officer know he's not going to jump in the vehicle and drive off? Or reach under the seat and pull out a gun?
Happy Times
11-22-07, 11:12 AM
He explains the situation a bit different to the other cop. Like the situation was prolonged and he repeatly gave instructions and warned about the taser.
He doesnt belong to his job.:nope:
He explains the situation a bit different to the other cop. Like the situation was prolonged and he repeatly gave instructions and warned about the taser.
He doesnt belong to his job.:nope:
Yeh, noticed that too. Phew, drama-queen. :p
AVGWarhawk
11-22-07, 02:24 PM
Officers have the right to search your vehicle when they pull you over. It doesn't matter if it's for speeding, an illegal U-turn, or having a headlight out.
Only if the officer has 'probable cause'. Illegal search and seizure is not allowed. Permission can be asked before the arrest. After the arrest, searching the vehicle is fair game.
AVGWarhawk
11-22-07, 02:28 PM
Something else is very funny here. The cop pulls over in front of the 40 mph sign. As the truck passes him then the pursuit starts. Now if the truck is driving the same speed as the officer (we can assume as he was behind the cop before he pulled over infront of the sign and then proceeded to pursue after he passed), the cop was baiting the driver. The cops are to do the speed limit. If he is blowing down the road then others well blow down the road at the same speed he is doing. It does not make speeding right at this point but if the cop is above the speed limit he is then baiting others to do the same.
Something else is very funny here. The cop pulls over in front of the 40 mph sign. As the truck passes him then the pursuit starts. Now if the truck is driving the same speed as the officer (we can assume as he was behind the cop before he pulled over infront of the sign and then proceeded to pursue after he passed), the cop was baiting the driver. The cops are to do the speed limit. If he is blowing down the road then others well blow down the road at the same speed he is doing. It does not make speeding right at this point but if the cop is above the speed limit he is then baiting others to do the same.
I agree. If the cop isnt 'on-call' then he should drive by the limits. If I was somewhere I havent been to before and not familiar with the roads & limits and saw a police car drive at certain speed without flashes on, I'd assume that he is driving within the limit.
AVGWarhawk
11-22-07, 03:24 PM
He explains the situation a bit different to the other cop. Like the situation was prolonged and he repeatly gave instructions and warned about the taser.
He doesnt belong to his job.:nope:
Yeh, noticed that too. Phew, drama-queen. :p
It almost seems as if he is trying to convince himself (other officer) that he handled this in the correct way.
MothBalls
11-22-07, 04:09 PM
The cop was 100% right and just in his actions.
Bottom line is the guy failed to follow the direction(s) of the officer. The cop has no way of knowing what the guy is thinking. People refusing to obey a simple thing like stop and turn around, is what gets cops killed. He could have just as easily pulled a gun.
I bet if you follow up on this, no action will be taken against the cop. He did everything by the book. Hopefully the driver was charged and convicted of resisting arrest. He deserves it.
It's doesn't matter what the original infraction was. Speeding, running a stop sign, littering. It just doesn't matter. Once he decided to stop following instructions and make unsafe moves, he was putting everyone there at risk.
VipertheSniper
11-22-07, 04:30 PM
Now here's an officer who knows how to keep his cool. ;)
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=GHZMoPV1rog
Man for the three or more "*sshole" you can be assured you pay atleast 21€ more.
This is were you 'feelings getting hurt' should not muddle your judgment. Street level justice should be based on what you know and what the law states.
It's not so much a 'feelings getting hurt', but it's an offence to the law here if you insult an officer, and I guess it's not much different on the other side of the pond, which apparently costs 21€.
VipertheSniper
11-22-07, 04:46 PM
The cop was 100% right and just in his actions.
Bottom line is the guy failed to follow the direction(s) of the officer. The cop has no way of knowing what the guy is thinking. People refusing to obey a simple thing like stop and turn around, is what gets cops killed. He could have just as easily pulled a gun.
I bet if you follow up on this, no action will be taken against the cop. He did everything by the book. Hopefully the driver was charged and convicted of resisting arrest. He deserves it.
It's doesn't matter what the original infraction was. Speeding, running a stop sign, littering. It just doesn't matter. Once he decided to stop following instructions and make unsafe moves, he was putting everyone there at risk.
you've got to be kidding me, I know you shouldn't get into arguments with law enforcment, but the officer could have atleast told him what he was about to sign, maybe he would've signed it then, we'll never know, but the officer instead let's this situation get out of control. The officer was being confrontational from the start, he was probably right with waving him out of traffic for driving too fast, but if this guy wants to know what his speed was and what he is signing, it shouldn't be too much to ask of the officer to tell him, let him sign the ticket and wish him a safe journey or whatever. "the cop has no way of knowing what the guy is thinking", well I guess he lived the life of an eremite till the day he became a cop, because I think we learn how to read peoples faces and how others might feel in a situation like this by reading the faces by the age of 6 or something, well atleast long before you can apply for law enforcment.
AVGWarhawk
11-23-07, 09:00 AM
http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=3899692&page=1
Update on Taser First and Answer Questions Later Cop.
Taser Probe: Trooper Acted Reasonably
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hC1AUlN6Iq0Hx4G0ApxPSsuh13ogD8T8A7RO0
The initial stop wasn't too bad. The officer informs the driver that he was speeding and then asks to see his driver's license and registration. The officer is under no obligation to explain the details of the speeding violation or to read him his miranda rights. When the driver becomes non-compliant and eventually refuses to sign the citation the officer decides to make an arrest. Again, there's nothing wrong with that. In most states a citation is considered a summons to court and your signature on that citation is your promise to appear on the date and time indicated. It is not an admission of guilt. By refusing to sign, you are refusing that promise to appear. Now I can't speak for all states, but in my state the officer then has the authority to arrest you. To affect that arrest he uses what is called "a ladder of escalating force". The rungs of the ladder are verbal commands, light touch, physical restraint or pain compliance, and deadly force. There used to be a rung in between physical restraint and deadly force. That was the carotid restraint or choke hold. If you ever watched cage fighting you've seen the choke hold. That's were the guy is turning purple and he's tapping out like there's no tomorrow. It was very effective and put the guy out just long enough to put the cuffs on. But because some people were dying they took that tool away and prohibited officers from using it. So for quite awhile there was this gap between physical restraint or pain compliance and deadly force. It was technically filled by the night stick or baton but officers rarely use the baton on a traffic stop except maybe the collapsible steel kind and most I knew didn't feel real comfortable with it. I guess the taser is meant to fill that gap. I was never trained on the taser so I don't know much about it or where it is on the ladder. I assume it's right after the pain compliance stuff and mostly used for a combative subject that you don't want to close with. Bottom line is you're trained to use the minimum amount of force necessary to control the situation. Sometimes your journey up the ladder stops at the first rung. Sometimes it skips all the rungs in between and goes directly to deadly force. Depends on the situation.
Anyway the driver resisted arrest by refusing the officers orders after he was told that he was under arrest. It's too bad the officer wasn't closer when he did this. I would have probably been a lot closer and gone to the light touch by holding his arm at the elbow and directing him to the patrol car while speaking to him. From that position you could feel if he was going to pull away or pull into you and then you could have gone up the next rung with either a wrist lock, arm bar take down or hair pull take down or a variety of other stuff you're trained in. If he was still too much to handle then going for the choke hold would have been a viable option but since that is no longer legal then pushing away and using your taser or gun depending on threat level, would be the only things left. I was surprised to see him so far away from the driver when he broke the bad news and even more surprised when he went right to the taser. I think this might be a training issue. Personal opinion in looking at the driver's demeanor and body language is that this arrest could have probably been made at the first or second rung of the ladder even though the first rung didn't appear to be working all that well. There's no doubt this would make a good training video...
Bottom line...if the officer felt threatened and believed he could not have handled it any other way, then he was justified in doing what he did. The driver was the fuel that fed this fire, not the officer. Once the driver started back to his car after being advised he was under arrest then the choices for the officer became very limited and they all involved some sort of physical force. Under no circumstance would I have let him return to the vehicle. I think it still holds true that traffic stops are the number one killer of police officers in the line of duty. As part of my training I viewed dash cams showing how officers met violent deaths on "routine" traffic stops. I still remember the one incident of a female trooper that was nearly beat to death by a guy twice her size while his three year old son watched. It's a tough job and cops sometimes don't do it perfectly. Lord knows I didn't. But I always came home.
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