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Now let's see if the USA will do this. I doubt it. They're way too quick with the gun and/or the taser. It should be stopped!

Well then just keep your happy butt north of the border, would ya?

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AS SOMEONE WHO HAS BEEN TASERED IN TRAINING........ I'll say this. Don't believe everything that is sensationalized in the paper and TV everyday. I was tazered in training, as were numerous other officers. This guy was tazered and he ripped the barbs out. Evidently he wasn't highly effected if he was able to remove the barbs and fight back. There are lots of people that are not effected by tazers at times. I once saw a guy get full charge and he grit his teeth and ripped the barbs out and fought us for everything we had. It took 4 officers to subdue him. It depends on the person, drugs, mental problems, etc. Tazers are usually not the culprit. Many people that die in custody had big health or drug related problems before the police showed up. The guy who fought us went into Cardiac arrest about 15 minutes later, but was revivied and stayed in ICU for 2 weeks. He had so much cocaine and demoral in his system, he was virtually OD'd, walking around throwing bricks at passing cars. The Tazer, along with Pepper spray was designed to stop the vast majority of injuries that can occurr with arrest and apprehension. If I have to fight a guy, we can break bones, teeth, loose blood and even die. Hopefully Pepper spray or a Tazer will subdue that person and prevent that from happening. Look at the thousands of arrestees that get tazered every year, with no deaths. You don't hear about those. Only the one or two that die in custody out of thousands. Usually the Tazer is blamed until autopsy results can be had. But by then, the media has run with the tazer story. Sure beats swinging a night stick and fracturing a skull.

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Some very interesting facts here. Notice that Canadian officers must report and justify the use of a taser every time it is used. Obviously, they're a good thing to use.

I have a question for people in the know: Of all the taser deaths reported in North America since 2001, how many happened on people who WERE NOT using drugs or under the influence of alcohol?

From what I've just read in the above-noted link, most taser deaths were caused because the people were full of drugs and/or alcohol, which was definitely a contributing factor along with the taser.

Looked at that way, the taser seems reasonable to me.

I just hope they are careful where and when they use it, that's all. They "seem" to be using them an awful lot lately. Are the criminals getting more rambunctious or are the police quicker to use the tasers? Does anyone know?

I'm always willing to listen to facts and not rush to quick judgment.

Can I ask something here? Why is it with more liberal leaning countries and officials, It's ALWAYS the criminal or the guy who comes out swinging kicking and doped up, that gets the benefit of the doubt? A cop, for some reason, is arresting someone, which is what he does under the law. The citizen, bad guy, whatever, has the duty under the law to comply and go peacefully until his court arraignment, or charges are dropped. But instead he kicks, swings, beats a cop, refuses to go peacefully, fights and has to be subdued. Yet the media and the liberal establishment, just can't figure out how he got hurt!!! It's almost like they expect the cops to wave a magic wand, and miracle his *ss into the patrol car. I wish that everyone, would have to be a cop for one year. Attitudes would change drastically. People have absolutley NO IDEA what handling criminals and uncooperative people is like. It's Violent, crude, and painful. Even when you don't want it to be. I can't tell you the number of times I've had to arrest someone or write a citation on some simple little charge, and they KNEW they were wrong. I was Mr. Nice guy and tried to be gentle and diplomatic, but he or she just had to rebel, fight, refuse and get violent. When I have to fight the guy, everyone points the finger at ME and says, you mean old cop, why did you put a scratch on his knee. What kind of thinking is that? So now, I tazer him or Pepper spray him, to avoid ME and HIM getting hurt. And they still gripe about me being the bad guy. Sorry folks, but we don't live or work in Disneyland, but it seems many people got there thinking ability there.

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If you're referring to me, you're wrong.

I never ever said you should be "nice" to a jerk who's acting out.

I just would prefer they gave a little more benefit of the doubt to people like Guy's Lady's husband before they freak out, start SCREAMING at you, pointing a lethal weapon in your face and bring out the tasers. There was, IMHO, no reason for the unreasonable action taken by the police officer in Guy's Lady's story.

If they're freaking out and being combative from the get go, they're gonna get hurt and that's just too darn bad.

I would never want to be a police officer in a million years. They have to deal with a TON of crap. THe way the media is portraying things, it's looking like cops are assuming all are guilty and combative before even asking or giving the person a chance to be reasonable.

If that's all wrong and out of proportion, blame the media and set us straight. Don't get angry at us for being outraged at "seeming" over-reactive police officers, okay?

Unlike many Socialist Countries, OUR Constitution gives US the right to own a gun, but I don't see anyone "way too quick" with a gun, except the criminals....who; by the way aren't allowed to have one in the first place. Socialists have the misconception that everything would be hunky-dory if all the guns were confiscated. The TRUTH of the matter is: "An Armed Society is a Polite Society". Meaning: if all law-abiding citizens were allowed to carry a gun, there would be far less crime throughout the USA.
As for the Cops having guns and tazers........I miss the good-old days of Dogs and Water cannons......I saw we FULLY arm our cops.

Perhaps we should let them go back to swinging night sticks and using phone books as a questioning technique.

NOPE..... not refering to you, but primarily to the article. My Doctor released me several years ago to return to work after being run over by a car. But I decided to take the partial medical retirement and do something else. I don't think I could ever do that job again. I can't explain it. You love it, but you hate it, it gets in yur blood, but you can't wait till it's over. You hide so much inside. Then you retire after 30 years with stress related illnesses. The average cop lives between 2 and 5 years after retirement. My Dad lasted 1 1/2 and my Grandfathers on each side last 5 and 6 years. Now my son's been a cop for 8 years and I can already see it in his eyes. It's a tough and lonely career. Everybody wonders why cops only hang around with other cops. It's because you don't trust anyone else and it took me years to get over that. I still don't trust very easily. And yes there are some Jerks out there in Uniform. Some can handle it, some can't. But it gets to a point where you never let your guard down, and if someone makes the wrong move, or doesn't comply at once, you think, he may be going for it. You just keep waiting for things to escalate. A guy like that needs to be pulled back for a while. I was the opposite. I got so used to people acting up, I started getting calmer. Yeah, I would take action, but I almost got killed a couple of times approaching people on traffic stops and on minor complaints. Next thing I knew, there was a gun or knife pointing at me. Actually, being hit by a car was a blessing. I see these young guys that can't wait to get to the Academy and get into the job. I was like that. Then I saw myself 15 years later working narcotics and vice. I never knew the people I was dealing with actually existed. It's like an underworld.

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MAN! I about said the same thing in another thread and you should have seen the hateful PM'S I got for not respecting the Poo lice!!

Basically I said if they show respect to me, I give it back, but if they don't, then we have what's called an issue...