Police defend use of Taser on city official in Texas

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Associated Press

Police defend use of Taser on city official in Texas
Updated 5:12 pm, Monday, October 12, 2015

PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas (AP) — Police officials in a small, predominantly black Texas college town are defending the decision to use a stun gun on a City Council member when he intervened as officers questions his friends outside his apartment.

Police say they were questioning four men outside Prairie View City Council Member Jonathan Miller's apartment about suspicious activity in the neighborhood when Miller interfered on Thursday night. Miller, at a Monday news conference, said he was vouching for his friends and telling officers they were doing nothing wrong.

"It was just concern for my friends. That's all it was, and that's all it should have been," Miller said.

. . .

Prairie View garnered attention this summer after a woman who was arrested following a routine traffic stop was found dead in jail. A medical examiner ruled Bland hanged herself July 13 at the Waller County jail, about 50 miles northwest of Houston. Bland's relatives and supporters dispute that finding. Dashcam video of the traffic stop that led to her arrest shows her interaction with a state trooper quickly turned into a confrontation.


Read more: http://www.chron.com/news/us/article/Police-defend-use-of-Taser-on-city-official-in-6567120.php

[muriel_volestrangler]

1. Video here:

http://www.khou.com/story/news/local/2015/10/10/police-release-body-cam-footage-of-prairie-view-councilman-being-tased/73760818/

The man had been protesting that his friends weren't doing anything wrong (it's at night; I suppose they might have been noisy by the time some people wanted to sleep, but there doesn't seem to have been anything else it could be). He was doing this in a reasonable way, not particularly loud, or in any way physically confrontational. One police officer tells him to move away - and he does. The officer says he's 'interfering' (when he is, of course, a local resident, vouching for the presence of his friends. And a council member, for that matter). He ends up on his knees, and it's still not good enough for the police officer, who demands he puts his hands behind his back (presumably he wanted to cuff him, though there was no need or justification to). When Miller keeps his arms by his side, the officer tases him.

[hack89]

2. The cops warned him nine times before tazing him

It was on the evening news. The police chief is also AA and seemed pretty level headed.

[muriel_volestrangler]

3. I don't see that saying you're going to assault someone 9 times means it's justified

The police chief seemed an arsehole in the video, to me. I'm sure there are times in his life when he's not, but on this topic, he's very wrong.

The "always do whatever a police officer tells you" mentality is bad for the future of civilisation. Police officers should have to be reasonable and following proper procedures before that happens.

[hack89]

5. It certainly should not come as a surprise though. Nt

[gvstn]

7. The "always do whatever a police officer tells you" mentality is bad for the future of civilization.

+1

[christx30]

10. But let's face it. The "you should always do" crowd is winning

right now because the cops can pretty much do anything they want and face little or no consequences. And things will continue to do that until a politician somewhere stops them.

[Demit]

9. Tazing someone for no reason isn't level-headed. It's an abuse of power.

Whatever color he is. It's using power in a wrong way, just because they can. You should be very nervous about that.

[hack89]

11. Chief didn't taze him. He is the one investigating. Nt

[Joe Chi Minh]

17. Don't downplay the therapeutic value of recreational violence afforded

to your police by the purveyors of the latest weaponry. All in a good cause.

[BumRushDaShow]

13. "The police chief is also AA"

[Judi Lynn]

14. Ugly, completely unprovoked. Predictable, and it's a shame. Thanks for this video link. n/t

[Gothmog]

4. He was in his own front yard and the police had no probable cause to question his four guests

There will be litigation on this case and pariie view is going to owe a great deal of money

[TexasTowelie]

8. That will be interesting.

1) The story says that Miller was in an apartment building so how could it be his own front yard unless he owns the apartment complex?

2) Won't the recovery be limited to a maximum of $250,000 since it is a municipality being sued under the Texas Tort Claims Act?

3) Miller might become a former council member if he sues the city. The public won't be keen about a council member suing the city that he represents.

My guess is that there will be a small nuisance value settlement, but if Miller demands a five or six figure amount the insurance company will force him to sue so he will be rolling the dice hoping for favorable jury. I think that we can agree that there are plenty of bigoted potential jurors in Waller County so his likelihood of winning at trial is small.

[rockfordfile]

6. The cops should be fired

[Little Tich]

12. I personally don't get the impression that Miller was a threat when he was on his knees with his

back turned towards the police officer.

But I'm not a police officer either...

[Judi Lynn]

15. Oooooh, that's when people are most dangerous: on their knees!

They might lunge backwards, and run off like crabs!

[center] [/center]

[Joe Chi Minh]

16. More recreational violence by American police. Electrocution is

the latest game.