Police Taser 16 Year-Old... Lying On the Ground... With A Broken Back

[DeSwiss]

Parents question why Ozark police used stun gun on injured son

KY3 News
by Sara Sheffield
Jul 24, 2008 at 4:05 PM CDT



OZARK, Mo. -- A family wants answers about what happened to their son that left him hospitalized. Early Saturday morning, police found Mace Hutchinson, 16, underneath the Highway F overpass over U.S. 65. Mace ended up in intensive care at a hospital. His parents believe the actions of Ozark police officers contributed to his injuries and slowed doctors’ abilities to speed his recovery. “We called the police. My wife was afraid he was going to get ran over or hit,” said witness Doug Messersmith. Messersmith and his wife were the last known people to see 16-year-old boy walking, shortly before their phone call to 911. “He looked a little agitated but, other than that, he didn't look to be falling down drunk or anything like that,” he said.

By the time officers arrived, the teen was off the 30-foot overpass, lying on the shoulder below along U.S. 65, with no good explanation as to how he got there. “According to the doctors, all injuries are consistent with a fall,” said his aunt, Samantha. Mace's dad believes it was just that, a fall, not a jump. The question is why. “They tested his system. He was clean of drugs and alcohol. We don't know why unless just being in shock and the whole thing in itself caused him to forget everything,” said Hutchinson. His aunt says he is undergoing major surgery for a broken back and broken heel. While he was lying on the ground, she wonders why Ozark police used an electric stun gun on him up to 19 times.

“I'm not an officer, but I don't see the reason for ‘Tasering’ somebody laying there with a broken back. I don't consider that a threat.” His dad says the use of the stun gun delayed what would have been immediate surgery by two days. “The ‘Tasering’ increased his white blood cell count and caused him to have a temperature so they could not go into the operation.”

“He refused to comply with the officers and so the officers had to deploy their Tasers in order to subdue him. He is making incoherent statements; he's also making statements such as, ‘Shoot cops, kill cops,’ things like that. So there was cause for concern to the officers,” said Ozark Police Capt. Thomas Rousset. Police say although there are several unanswered questions; the reason for the use of a stun gun is not one of them. “It's a big concern for the officers to keep this guy out of traffic, to keep him from getting hurt,” said Rousset. Mace was still in intensive care on Wednesday night, listed in fair condition. He was scheduled for surgery again on Thursday.

http://www.ky3.com/home/video/25829234.html">LINK

- "Shoot cops, Kill cops?!?!?!" And this is the best that they could come up with?!?!?!

He fell down 30 feet, off of a highway overpass and he's laying on the ground with a broken back and heel. And so of course, the first thing he thinks to say when he sees help arriving is: "Shoot cops, Kill cops!!!"

Maybe he said this AFTER they tasered him 19 times!!!!!
==============================================================================
DeSwiss


http://www.atheisttoolbox.com/">The Atheist Toolbox

[BlooInBloo]

1. Cops really fucking suck.

[DeSwiss]

5. Tasers MUST GO!!! n/t

[madokie]

46. Yes they do

good smilie, care if I life it for my stash?

[truedelphi]

82. I know, I simply cannot understand what the heck is going on with the Taser situation.

But I think we need to form a coalition to get rid of tasers!

I just channel flicked through "Cops" the other night. In Peoria Illinois, they were tasering some guy who was pulled over to the side of his car and appeared to be drunk.

They tasered him thoroughly and then without so much as a pause, they demanded that he get out of the car.

If you know anything about electrical current running through a human's body, it indicates that you can't move after you've been tasered. you are in shock. But when he didn't immediately respond, they tasered him again!!

And I also wondered - what if the guy isn't drunk? I didn't see the section of video footage before the tasering - maybe the man had heat stroke, maybe he was diabetic, maybe he was having a stroke!!

Tasering is simply out of control.

From thirty years ago, I knew people who ran in very wild crowds in their youth - and even if caught joy riding and drunk, they were treated civilly. I mean, you are going to get arrested, put in the clink overnight, your parents are gonna have to come in and post bond. (Or if you are an adult, you will have to post bond.)

And you will either plead guilty or you will ask for a trial - and then and only then is punishment to be meted out. But you should not be physically receiving corporal punishment until it is a fact that you are guilty of something!!

[Swagman]

143. correct-a diabetic episode can look like you are drunk-or a stroke

..any number of medical conditions. These tasers are diabolical

[Gman]

141. If they don't have tasers, they'll just use their guns more

because they're cops.

[Mother Of Four]

148. Not all cops are bad, neither are all Departments-

My husband's Dept doesn't have tasers, and physical altercations aren't the norm. I think this is the third post I've read in as many days stereotyping PD's across the boards.

I'm proud of my husbands work, and how much effort he puts into it. To answer another post up-thread about watching the show "Cops" my DH states "If you want to know what NOT to do, watch that show. They put the worst LEO's out there on the tube."

DH volunteers for education, and Sat day he drove a little over 45 miles to attend an intervention school for a young man that we know from the "south end" (read: bad end of town) who's trying to turn his life around.

When DH educates and the kids ask all the questions kids tend to ask...about guns, tasers, pepper spray etc he gets really quiet and smiles at them. When they all settle down he asks "So, you all want to know what my favorite thing is to fight crime?" the kids go "Yeah yeah!" know what he pulls out?

A pen.

Not all cops are bad, there are plenty of them that went into the profession to do what they dreamed. Help people.

That being said, there are LOADS of LEO's that are wastes of skin and air and it's beyond frustrating to the good cops that these guys not only are allowed to keep their certification but aren't going to jail for what they do on a daily basis.

I'm just as disgusted as anyone, maybe even more so because of DH's line of work, about what happened to that poor young man. They should be strung up and held accountable.

But please, don't stereotype?

Thanks :)

:hi:

[Gman]

160. No doubt that there are some good cops

My personal experience over many years with a lot of cops, including ones I used to drink beer with is to not trust them for anything. Too many are just on this side of the law and are pretty much a criminal with a badge.

[truedelphi]

167. Sad but true. n/t

[Greyhound]

168. Even the 'good ones' will cover for the bad ones. We need to change the definitions and parameters

of police work in this country. The militarization and constant escalation of violence on the part of PDs across the country has yielded nothing but bad results.

[Mother Of Four]

171. DH has never covered for another officer-

And he never would. A few years back we had some local LEO's that were dirty and he helped gather the info to put them away.

He's of the firm opinion that being in public service (Police, Fire, EMS) is a TRUST. That the only way you can do your job (LEO) is if you have the trust of the public.

Yes, he's old school (50 yrs old)- Yes the young people that are getting into the profession are more often than not people with serious personality problems that feel a gun and a badge will "Make up for it"

But not all cops are bad, and not all "good cops" cover.

It makes me beyond sad to know that many of the "good cops" that are left will be retiring soon. Fewer and fewer are left to mentor the younger set and see they start off on the right track.

[Greyhound]

177. Well that's both good and sad to hear. My experience is from two

main sources, as a kid growing up in Denver where we knew several officers (all but one of whom quit the force because they would not do what was being asked of them), and LAPD, which needs no explanation.

[awoke_in_2003]

181. Maybe if they would start policing their own ranks

we would start trusting them again. The majority seem to be jackbooted thugs suffering from steroid rage.

[Mother Of Four]

186. Please see my response to Greyhound-

DH did before and if needed I'm sure he would do it again, he's one LEO that takes his job seriously.

[awoke_in_2003]

189. I commend that

and just wish all departments were like that.

[ManiacJoe]

176. It does not work that way.

Tasers are not replacements for guns. Guns are used to counter deadly force; tasers are used to counter non-lethal force (mixed in with or replacing chem sprays and batons).

[norepubsin08]

32. Totally agree

Almost every cop I have ever come into contact with is an authoritarian fuck face. They all have lousy relationships with non cops and are on a life long power trip. It's time our visual media quit glorifying these fucking assholes and get it through to them that they are public servants, not a quasi Nazi entity left to their own devices to terrorize the American public for their own pleasure and amusement.

[debunkthelies]

98. I couldn't agree more

I know two cops who abuse their wives and kids, and are totally power trippers. I think the taser is a tool for creating terrorists cops.:mad:

[CoffeeCat]

138. There are good cops and there are bad cops...

...and it is obvious that some cops become cops because they are psychopaths and they want
unmitigated power over people, so they can abuse them. These types are in every police force
in every city in the country.

Tasers are disgusting torture devices.

The psychopathic cops who get a hold of them, are abusing them.

And no one is doing a damn thing about it.

I'm sick and tired of reading these revolting stories about tasers.

We need a class-action lawsuit against this bullshit.

I know one thing for sure. If I ever come into contact with some cop that I suspect is in the psychopath
category, I will immediately tell him that I might be pregnant. Hey, maybe I am. Maybe I'm not. I'm
of childbearing age, so I could be. I'll say it to protect myself, and I feel I have that right.

This is out of control and disgusting beyond repair. Cops know that many have died from tasers, but STILL
these assholes dish out the shocks when they are irritated or when someone pisses them off.

Absolutely disgusting.

[1monster]

179. Good luck Sparkle... Pregnancy is not a deterent to some with tazers...

Pregnant women HAVE BEEN tazered. Obviously pregnant women.

[awoke_in_2003]

182. Add steroids to the mix, too

Roid rage causes most of these abuses.

[Occulus]

37. I will ask it again- WHY aren't we BANNING these things?

WHY do tasers even exist?

These devices are the product of a very sick mind. They are not tools, they are not necessary- they are TORTURE DEVICES.

[madokie]

48. They are torture devices sums it up

[defendandprotect]

131. "They are torture devices" . . . you are correct . . .!!!

[truedelphi]

83. The cops are clearly using them to mete out corporal punishment - but in our society

According to the laws on the books, we are not to receive ANY punishment until after we ahve been arrested, formally charged with a crime, and given the opportunity to either plead guilty or to have a trial that finds us guilty.

The cops are using tasers to inflict serious harm on people for BEING NON-RESPONSIVE!!

BEING NON-RESPOSNIVE is not a crime. And even if irt can be seen as a crime (resisting arrest, etc) tasering is not something that should be done until there has been a trial.

When the police depts were intially offered the devices, it was seen as a non-lethal way of helping the officers avoid comeing to harm. For instance, a suspect is lunging at you with a knife.

[mrfrapp]

115. Agree

"BEING NON-RESPOSNIVE is not a crime. And even if irt can be seen as a crime (resisting arrest, etc) tasering is not something that should be done until there has been a trial."

I agree. However "tasering" shouldn't be done even after a guilty verdict has been reached IMO. I'm fairly certain it is punishment of a cruel and unusual kind.

[awoke_in_2003]

183. "BEING NON-RESPOSNIVE is not a crime"

You are correct. Makes me wonder what would have happened to those people in the 60's that would go into the white restaurants and refuse to move?

[AllentownJake]

67. My Grandfather was a state cop

He is one of my heroes and served honorably. He raised his family and was an active member of building his community.

Blanket statements like that fucking suck.

[Webster Green]

105. Most cops are fucking assholes. There are very few good ones.

Your grandfather must have been a rare exception.

[AllentownJake]

107. I'm sure some of the people

he dealt with thought he was a fucking asshole but here is a story.

An 18 year old kid killed someone in the early 60s. My Grandfather took him to breakfast before transferring him because he felt sorry for the kid and knew what rotten people the kid's parents were. The kid got 20 years and my Grandfather knew that was the last humanity he was going to see in 20 years.

[defendandprotect]

130. That's great . . .

wonderful . . . things like that used to happen ---

but that's not what's going on now . . .

[jwirr]

110. my grandfather was also a policeman but that was in the days before

they were trained by the military and HLS to fight the local terrorists. I wish we had men like them again.

[defendandprotect]

132. Especially cops walking a beat . . . in the cities ---

let me say there were some of these cops who were a problem even then ---

when the right-wing started on "juvenile delinquents" --- many young people

were roughed up -- abused. It's the mentality at the top that really effects

it -- and right now we have torturers in the charge in the White House!

[awoke_in_2003]

185. Yeah, cops use to be different...

I remember when I was 7 or 8, and one of the officers gave me a tour of the jail, and took me out on patrol with him (it was a small town). Talked to him everyday, always seemed to have a coke for me. I told him I wanted to be a cop when I grew up. The next day he said he had a gift for me, and gave me a doctor's penlight. He told me, "don't be a cop. Use your brain and become a doctor- the pay is better"

[jwirr]

190. Sounds very much like my grandfather.

[crikkett]

120. blanket statements suck. but surely you understand that Powerlessness Corrupts, and

Absolute Powerlessness, Corrupts Absolutely

Really, what recourse do we have besides bitching to each other?

[AtheistCrusader]

172. Get involved.

There are ways to interact with your local police department. They are YOUR PUBLIC SERVANTS after all. Sitting around bitching never accomplished anything.

[awoke_in_2003]

184. When your grandfather was a cop

we did not have a semi-police state going on. Cops have been given alot more power the last few years, and they take advantage of it. Also, use of steroids is prevalant in the police forces, at least here in texas.

[Matteon]

102. Not all of them

There are 10's of thousands of uniformed police officers. The vast majority are good people doing a difficult job. Grouping them all together and insulting them all because the acts of a few is a slap in the face to every officer who has given his or her life protecting the public.

You should be ashamed.

[Webster Green]

106. Bullshit!

Most of them are sadistic pigs. A very small percentage are decent human beings.

[AllentownJake]

108. Most of them

are good people stuck dealing with the worst elements of society all day long.

I'm sorry you got a speeding ticket.

[Webster Green]

114. Disagree..

Speeding tickets? No big deal. That's what they should be doing.

I've seen enough of their bullshit to know what cops are about.

Most of 'em are fucking assholes! :smoke:

[pegleg]

125. Absolutely, We seriously couldn't do without them.

There are elements of bad in every group and I'd hate to see what the world would be like without them.

[defendandprotect]

136. The world right now is created by violence, carved out by it ---

and these officers are a sign of that danger ---

[pegleg]

150. The world has always been violent and the current situation

include organized crime, gangs, terrorism, and corruption. As imperfect as they may be, we need them desparately. they have an absolutely thankless job.

[defendandprotect]

155. No . . . it hasn't always been violent. Men are taught to be violent . . .

And many of us can tell you that this violence has been introduced into our society ---

poverty breeds crime --- but it also increases the elite fear of retribution ---

they begin to build walls --- to want more brutal police enforcement ---


Our TV's began blaring out this "blood leads" kind of TV news right after the '63 coup

on our government --- they created this world.


We don't need more brutal police enforcement --- we need controls on this runaway brutality

going on for decades now.


And, evidently, you don't understand that much of the crime is ELITIST crime --- that's

the majority of crime --

The Drug War, for isntance. Do you honestly believe that the drug trade can exist without

the cooperation of high government officials and corruption of government agencies ---

and corruption of police enforcement at the highest levels???


Do you understand that Officer Volpe was sniffing cocaine from his dashboard before

shoving a broken mop handle up Louima's anus?????

[pegleg]

156. Yes the world always has been violent . However there is much

corruption, no doubt. That needs to be dealt with. But hating all police not the answer.

[defendandprotect]

165. Again . . . the world has NOT always been violent --- it has been made violent

by the right wing takeover.

You still give no indication that you yet understand that it is the ELITE who present us
with crime which impacts us all --- including the creation of poverty and extreme poverty.

And stop pretending that we "hate" police enforcement --- it couldn't be clearer that we
are objecting to police enforcement based on military tactics with the public as the enemy.

We are criticizing police brutality --- and that has overrun our police departments.

[pegleg]

166. I am beginning to question what world you are talking about.

Violence on this planet earth has existed since the beginning of time,with a variety of causes. I agree with the idea that there is an "elite" element which operates above politics and the law and influences the actions of nations and governments. But I certainly do not agree with your assertion that all law enforcement is corrupt. There are are a countless number of both left and right components who are striving to influence the legal system.

[AtheistCrusader]

173. Prove it.

Cite your source. Cite your study. You are making a falsifiable statement. Support it.

[Webster Green]

174. I'm stating an opinion. My own study is sufficient to rant on a message board..

I've been on the planet long enough to see them in action.

I've concluded that most of them are fucking pigs. :hi:

[Mother Of Four]

187. Though I hate the insult-

I appreciate you saying "Most" instead of "All"

[1monster]

180. I was talking to a professional one afternoon. He was fuming. He had been honored by the Sheriff's

Department the day before at the Sheriff's Office.

Before and during the ceremony, he sat among the many Sheriff's Deputies who attended the ceremony.

The Deputies were telling each other stories about their recent busts.

What really infuriated the honored guest was that the Deputies were laughing and joking about the various cruelties they inflicted on those they arrested. You know, a well-placed elbow or two on the handcuffed suspect, or the way they'd bang the head of the handcuffed suspect against the roof of the car as they "assisted him/her in..."Oops! You should have ducked your head!"

He heard about a half hour of the Deputies' little brag fest before he could leave, thoroughly disgusted at finding that our public servants, our thin blue line, was made up of barbarians.

[Fox Mulder]

147. Most cops do, not all.

Some actually do good.

[redstate_democrat]

2. unfuckingbelievable.

What, exactly, is the world coming to?

[NutmegYankee]

3. Tasered with a Broken back!?

How the hell can they defend that? Can't the news just keep airing that till the cops get fired!

[Warpy]

4. This kid can get rich quick if he is unable to walk

after this. Jerking around while being tasered can cause a non displaced neck fracture to become very displaced and injure the spinal cord.

Dumb fuck cops with poor training seem to be using tasers not to subdue violent people but to induce injured people to get up and walk.

Rules have to be changed and the discharge of a taser has to be handled like the discharge of any other weapon: paperwork, a day or two of paid leave while ID investigates the case.

Cops like these need to be weeded out and put off the force.

[BlooInBloo]

6. Instead of the post-facto "sue! sue! sue!" talk, maybe it would be nice to *prevent* the problem....

Fix the worthless piece of shit terrorist cops.

[deadmessengers]

12. Yes, but it IS after the fact.

While I agree with you that the badged terrorists shouldn't have been able to do this in the first place, there really is only one remedy for this boy now that the damage has been done, and that is for him to sue the Ozark police department, and the cops personally, into absolute ruin.

And, it would prevent problems like this in the future - all it would take is for one brutal cop's family to end up on a soup line, and the word would get out FAST.

[BlooInBloo]

14. Yes, it is. Every single time.

[Warpy]

15. If you'd read the whole post

you'd have read how.

[aikoaiko]

49. Classic case -- agitated person won't comply with lawful commands

Its not clear how he went airborn, the degree of agitation, or just how incapacitated he was after his injury.

[Warpy]

59. The kid had a fractured spine

They're going to have a hard time getting anyone to buy that.

Come on, 19 hits? That's just plain ridiculous, I don't care how mouthy the kid was.

[aikoaiko]

117. Fractured spine does not mean one is necessarily paralyzed or incapacitated.

I broke one of my vertebrae and it hurt, but I was still quite mobile and capable of putting up a fight if I had to.

[dionysus]

162. always a matter of time before someone comes to defend these pigs....

:puke:

[jwirr]

111. It often takes a law suit to get the legislation to change the laws. nt

[javadu]

158. Post-facto Lawsuits Lead to

prevention. Money is the only thing these people understand and these lawsuits will make it tasering more expensive than it is worth. It will end shortly.

[Catherine Vincent]

7. Poor kid.

And I'm surprised he's not black. :wow:

[roody]

40. I don't think they let black people live in Ozark.

[Jazzgirl]

54. You don't have to be black to get in trouble in Ozark.

Just young. It is not a place for young people. I don't think I've ever known anyone black to live there.

[pattmarty]

72. Down in this area it is poor whites more than poor blacks.

[Arctic Dave]

8. If stun guns are such a great invention to get

people to submit to the will of the officers, why did they have to use it 19 times? Are these guys so fucking stupid that maybe there is something else happening in this situation and that they should change tactics. Apparently you don't need to have critical thinking skills to be a police officer in this town.

[defendandprotect]

133. Excellent point . . . 19 times --- tasered 19 times . . . !!!

[MicaelS]

9. What I think happned was

Some cop tasered him in the first place, and THEN he fell off the overpass. THEN they tasered him again.

[DeSwiss]

10. Lies have been told....

...there's no doubt about that in my mind. Because that so-called explanation by "Capt. Thomas Rousset" is as lame as they come:

"He is making incoherent statements; he's also making statements such as, ‘Shoot cops, kill cops,’ things like that."

- So he was "incoherent" except he could clearly make out the words -- "Shoot cops, Kills cops." You know, things like that....

[seabeyond]

29. ‘Shoot cops, kill cops,... further words are not a threat. if he held a gun and said that

it is one thing/. but the guy is on his back, even IF he said that who the fuck cares. that is just stupid. and makes the cops look even more stupid that because someone simple says with no ability to back it with actual threat it warrants torture.

[defendandprotect]

145. “It's a big concern for the officers . . . to keep him from getting hurt . . . "

He refused to comply ...officers had to deploy their tasers to subdue him . . .

THIS is the most ridiculous report I've ever read . . .

“It's a big concern for the officers to keep this guy out of traffic, to keep him from getting hurt,



“He refused to comply with the officers and so the officers had to deploy their Tasers in order to subdue him. He is making incoherent statements; he's also making statements such as, ‘Shoot cops, kill cops,’ things like that. So there was cause for concern to the officers,” said Ozark Police Capt. Thomas Rousset. Police say although there are several unanswered questions; the reason for the use of a stun gun is not one of them. “It's a big concern for the officers to keep this guy out of traffic, to keep him from getting hurt,” said Rousset. Mace was still in intensive care on Wednesday night, listed in fair condition. He was scheduled for surgery again on Thursday.

Tasering someone 19 times is now "keeping him from getting hurt" . . !!

[Triana]

20. I think this is probably it - maybe they told him to get off the overpass or

to walk in a different place. Maybe he refused so they tasered him, knocked him off the overpass - broke his back. Then, when he said the 'kill cops' stuff - they tased him some more. There's no way I believe the boy would mutter such things about cops unless they DID something to him FIRST.

SOMEBODY'S lying, by omission or otherwise. If I was his family, I'd sue the shit out of that police dept. and advise them to get some hormone therapy for those cops.

[norepubsin08]

33. I don't know

there's been times when I have observed cop anti social behaviour and felt like uttering those words.

[defendandprotect]

137. The cops are being trained to be hyper-sensitive to everything . . .

including citizens talking about their Constitutional rights ---

that's now seen as a threat to the fascist empire we're living in --

[bbgrunt]

35. yes--the big question is how he fell off the bridge in the first place.

[jwirr]

113. And was he doing anything illegal?

[defendandprotect]

134. sounds right . . . and probably in the end they were trying to kill him . ..

[midnight]

11. I hope the whole story about what happened to this young

man comes out. The details that I have read here are very concerning.

[DeSwiss]

16. I do too....

...but somehow I have my doubts.

[lligrd]

21. When Did We Become So Sick

I can't fathom how a human being could do this to an animal let alone another human being.

[burythehatchet]

30. Since forever. The assholes just need the green light based on the examples set by our

fascist leaders.

[EFerrari]

41. Our government started torturing people right after 9/11.

That was nearly seven years ago and torture is a rotteness that spreads all over the society.

We'll see more of these stories until (if) we stand up against torture.

[rucognizant]

101. BECAUSE THEY ARE HEROS!

They have a blanket pass thanks to media! After all look at the "hero" who is running for Pres.

[blueatheart]

119. I think your on the right track here

Kind of like teachers, nurses or firefighters. Society does not want to say or do negative things to these groups, because what they do is honorable and very much needed by society. It is like they are put above everyone else and can do no wrong. So we are supposed to look the other way when they do wrong.

BTW - I am in no way putting people down in these groups, they do honorable work. It is the person who is wrong, not the group. Except police. Cops do believe they are above the law and most do suck. And NO, have no tickets, never been arrested. Only people who are criminals who do not like cops. :sarcasm:

I know the police capt. in a local town. He told me that when taking a test in the academy, one of the questions were "why do you want to be a cop" and he answered for "power" and everyone else answered to serve and protect and such. The trainer made reference to the class that my friend was the only one who answered correctly.

[Hav]

13. Tasered 19 times?

As there had already been cases with people dying after being tasered, I have to ask, were they just stupid or did they try to kill him? I really have the feeling that some regard a stun gun as a toy.
I also guess it's hard to comply with a broken back. Normally, if one is on the ground, unarmed and making incoherent statements, I'd wonder if everything is alright instead of using a stun gun when he doesn't stand up.

[DeSwiss]

17. The first 18 or so....

...were "administered" just to get his attention.

[tblue37]

42. I think some of them are just sadistic and really get off on

torturing people with their Tasers, because they figure there won't be any marks, and they can always make up a story (like this "Shoot cops, kill cops" nonsense), so they beleive no one can do anything to punish them. And of course the police departments do their best to cover it all up every time.

They do it because they like to.

[bertman]

18. HOLY FUCKIN SHIT!!! Maybe they just liked watching him JERK.

This is insanity of the highest (lowest??) order??


Somebody slap the shit out of the imbecile who named us homo SAPIENS.

[L0oniX]

95. Frankenstien complex maybe?

[file83]

19. Taser International is profiting off of this. Everytime those tasers are used, they

have to be replaced with new cartridges (expensive!!).
Taser in turn gives kick backs to the department (wink wink, nudge nudge).

I'm surprised this aspect of Taser hasn't made headline news yet.

[SammyWinstonJack]

22. More and more why I just stay in my house! House Mouse here!

:hide:

[MicaelS]

55. Me too n/t

[EFerrari]

23. We need to start stacking up these tasering stories in the Research forum.

Unfuckingbelievable. :grr:

[seabeyond]

26. i was thinking the same thing. and then gather together and send in to local papers

hear ya sfex

[EFerrari]

28. Yeah -- or even, to the cop unions.

Because, while there are @ssholes in every profession, cops using this weapon inappropriately because of bad training or wrong policy or whatever, are also going to get consequences. If we could wake up the unions, that would be a big step to gettting this handled.

[tblue37]

43. I have been collecting them for quite some time now. My collection runs

to 20 pages.

I don't even go looking for them. I just copy-paste every such story that I encounter here on DU--though I go to the relevant news article online to do it, not just the DU excerpt. I've been doing it for 3 years or so now. I also have links to videos about abusive Taserings.

[EFerrari]

65. Wow. That's a lot of stories. I'm glad you've been doing that.

Eventually, this will have to be dealt with. Maybe once the Republican vultures are out of the White House.

[Blue Diadem]

58. Excellent idea!

Do you know if we have to ask Skinner for permission for that?

[EFerrari]

64. No, we just have to know how to navigate the forum properly.

Skinner has instructions for newbies there.

[rucognizant]

Why don't we all........

Call the boy's COngressman and Senators Governor, and ask them what they are going to do about it!

[defendandprotect]

139. That's a great idea . . .!!! And maybe call our own Senators/Reps and tell them

we're concerned about this ---

[proud2BlibKansan]

24. Do you have a link for that story?

Not because I don't believe it (I don't WANT to believe it) but because a friend of mine is collecting bad cop stories and I want to send it to him.

Thanks!

[DeSwiss]

25. The link is posted at the end of the story...

Or click from here:

http://www.ky3.com/home/video/25829234.html

;)

[proud2BlibKansan]

27. Oops see it now

Sorry bout that. :hi:

[D23MIURG23]

31. Who's idea was it to give these idiot man-children tazers?

Have they finally shown that they aren't responsible enough to handle something "less than lethal"? I'm so sick of hearing about these worthless cowardly imbeciles using their weapons of last resort as instruments of torture.

[tblue37]

44. NOT "less than lethal"! Even the Taser company calls them

"less lethal," admitting that they are potentially lethal, but less likely to be so than a gun.

[D23MIURG23]

123. I wasn't aware of that branding distinction.

Only that tasers are far more dangerous than a lot of officers seem to realize, or wish to acknowldge.

Thanks for pointing this out.

[defendandprotect]

127. A long time ago, I remember listening to Rep. Pat Schroeder . . .

think she was from Colorado . . . maybe 20 years ago . . . and she was talking about the need

to have less violent police enforcement --- and that we needed ways to deal with people where

we could lessen ANYONE's getting hurt -- and I think that some of these weapons came out of

that intention --- but, in use, with the mentality of these officers, it has made everything

worse!!!

We seem to have police enforcement these days which verges on torture --- in fact, it may be

TORTURE.

[Sanctified]

34. Anyone else think this was a botched suicide?

The kid sounds like he tried to kill himself and when he failed with the jump, he tried suicide by cop

[Maddy McCall]

47. No.

[MicaelS]

51. No, absolutely not n/t

[1monster]

75. The article states that his injuries were consistant with a fall, not a jump.

So, no. It does not sound like a botched suicide.

[quakerboy]

93. not even a little

[lame54]

161. no....

first I would have to believe an incoherent teen (who had fallen from and overpass) actually made a coherent statement, that so threatened those officers that they felt the need to taser him once let alone 19 times. Twice is excessive 19 times is criminal.
After a fall like that, the first response for most thinking adults would be to check for injuries not to bark orders to comply and follow up with a taser.

[pansypoo53219]

36. cops are just enjoying tasers

no desk duty for excessive tasering.

way to make the ozarks look edjumicated.

[bbgrunt]

38. it certainly is becoming apparent

that torture and mayhem are being promoted in our militarized police departments. Torturing detainees is the gateway to torturing and terrorizing your own.

[LiberalPersona]

39. ridiculous

Lying on the ground, broken back which means he couldn't have been able to move, and he needed to be subdued? Um, yeah. I hope these officers get booted off the force, but knowing the way things work in this country they probably won't even get a slap on the wrist.

[MiniMe]

45. I wander what the officers told him to do? Maybe "Get up?"

A little hard with a broken back you facists.

[kpominville]

50. We Are Being Conditioned To Live In Fear

This is not something new. This is a symptom of a larger problem that has been growing in American society and has allowed the fascist takeover to get this far.

http://thesarcasticcynic.blogspot.com/2007/09/shock-doctrine-at-university-of-florida.html

[Phred42]

52. Absolutly Correct

[defendandprotect]

129. Right . . . not long after the civil rights movements we had KKK police enforcement ...

all across the nation --- my state of NJ, in fact, was under Federal supervision ---

as far as I can see, any decent police officer was moved out and racists moved in.

[Jazzgirl]

53. Ozark cops have always had a reputation as assholes.

They have always been particularly hard on young people. Even when I was a kid back in the 60's everybody knew they had to be careful if they went to Ozark or even through it.

[kenny blankenship]

56. Somebody needs to GO TO JAIL here. Forget suspension or anything else - STRAIGHT TO JAIL.

There is no excuse for this story. You find someone lying on the side of a highway who is "out of it" and won't get up, the first inference you make is that they are injured. Maybe they were struck by a car, maybe they fell off the overpass, maybe they fell out of a car, maybe they are having a fucking epileptic fit, maybe they have OD'ed on something or are poisoned. But whatever it is that's the matter with them they are in trouble and need HELP. Nobody stretches out on the side of highway for fuck's sake unless they are seriously injured/incapacitated. Like a broken back. The first thing in your mind should be getting emergency medical assistance and if possible finding out the nature of the injury without making it worse. The first thing in your mind shouldn't be OH WHAT A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO GIVE SOMEONE ORDERS THEY CANNOT OBEY AND THEN TASERING THEM 19 TIMES FOR DISOBEDIENCE.

[entanglement]

57. The principle of impunity: cops murder and abuse authority because there is no punishment

for their actions. If one of these taser abuse cases was tried as murder and a very tough sentence handed out (like life in prison), you'd see the rest of the uniformed thugs think twice before committing such crimes.

[AllentownJake]

69. Cops go to jail all the time

and when they do they don't have a nice time there.

[pattmarty]

73. Just who the fuck you think you're kidding??????

[L0oniX]

104. Maybe they do ...on another planet.

[seabeyond]

152. bullshit.we have had story after story of down right assault and other crime and cops NOT

punished. IF they were punished like a civil for crime committed they would not be out of control now. they would know the line. there is no line. tell me where these cops have been held accountable. there behavior is criminal. i am not allowed to abuse another in this manner. but they are.

[pleah]

60. K&R Cops = terrorists

They seem to have been given free reign to terrorize, maim and kill.

[AllentownJake]

68. and get shot at

by criminals and leave their children fatherless and wives widows.

The behavior in this case was wrong but blanket statements like that fucking suck.

Someone breaks into your house who are you calling Batman?

[MindPilot]

80. Batman would certainly be more likely to show up

Ever had your house broken into? You know what the police do when you call to tell them your house has been broken into? If you need a case number for insurance they take a report over the phone. And that is the last you'll ever hear about it.

Most cops are too busy out there extorting cash from motorists and looking for an excuse to shoot somebody to actually fight crime.

[AllentownJake]

81. I most live in a good neighboorhood than

They are here within 5 minutes..

[pleah]

90. Highly unlikely I'll call the cops where I live,

did that, was told that "What do you want us to do about it?" I worked with cops before, I have seen first hand some of the shit they do and how they treat people.

[L0oniX]

99. They get all the information about you while the crooks go on to commit other crimes...

and the cops do nothing unless the crooks do it right in front of them and sometimes not even then. I hate the bastards.

[L0oniX]

97. If someone breaks into my home the only thing the cops are going to do is get all my info while ...

the crooks go on to another home. I don't need the cops to protect me from home invasions unless they want to live next store to me because that is the only way they will ever be able to really protect me. Until then the crooks will have to deal with my 9mm hand gun.

[Mad_Dem_X]

61. That is fucking INSANE!

Cops are now not only gun-happy, but taser-happy as well! God help us all. Poor kid.

[bluesmail]

62. Tasering is akin to electrocution, which is used in torture

situations, known as LEARNED HELPLESSNESS. I immediately think of soldiers in Iraq who are, (OOPS) electrocuted by none other than Cheney's Halliburtons's KBR. Incompetence or intentional?

[Pavulon]

63. "Teen dead after being shot by officers"

after reaching towards his waste line officers fires a total of 32 shots (2 guys dump a 16 round mag) killing the suspect instantly...
Tazers are better than a 40cal.

If he was mobile and did not comply they could fight or zap him..

If he was immobile there is a problem.

[ravencalling]

66. Parents question..

Notice the headline, parent's question...

"Excuse me sir.. no offense Mr. Police Officer.. Sir, but why did you torture my son after he had a broken back, perhaps causing irreparable damage?" "Please don't think I am questioning your judgment as I would NEVER even THINK of such a thing" "It's no big deal, just my son.." "I can have another son, or maybe adopt you know?". "But maybe just maybe you should.. *whispering now, look at your police procedures in these situations, just my most humble and respectful suggestion". "Please don't Taser me".

[lonestarnot]

70. It's the coppers' "nonlethal" mindset. "Won't kill 'em, so it's ok to keep doing it, as in who they

going to believe" (unless of course, someone gets a video :evilgrin:)

[rasputin1952]

71. 16 yo does not comply, but at the same time is not an immediate

threat...it never dawned on these cretins that perhaps he could not comply...:wtf:

I have seen videos of officers beating men and women w/clubs, after they were handcuffed and rendered immobile, tasering comes in as a close second on the abuse scale. To tase someone 19 times is far and above what was called for in this incident. In fact once would have been too much!

I am not a cop, but I know a few, and all of them are trained in First Aid, some of them being EMT's as well. They should have known something was obviously wrong after someone plunges 30 feet, fractures are a given, head injuries are suspect, internal injuries have to be taken into account as well. These men are complete idiots, "shoot cops/kill cops" is not a threat, it is a statement made under duress. The kid was apparently unarmed, and w/a fractured spine, essentially he was immobilized far and away above what could constitute a "threat" to the cops.

I hope this kid can walk again, I hope he can sweep this all behind him in the future, but I would be getting "Lawyered up"...Those involved need to be taken off the police force, then sued in Civil Court, if that is permitted.

What I see here is sadism at it's most brutal level, and those cops that do not come forward and condemn these practices are just as guilty as the ones who pulled the trigger..

[1monster]

79. Even if he walks again, spinal column injuries are forever. The kid will probably live in serious

pain the rest of his life, if the spinal cord wasn't severed.

[rasputin1952]

86. Yes...his life will be sheer misery, the only ting the police did

was aggravate the injury. I an almost see this poor kid flopping around while being tazed, each movement adding to his misery and an extremely poor prognosis.

I can grant one thing to the cops, they responded to the incident...I take an extremely dim view on how they responded....and they responded that way 19 times!

When sadists have the power of the badge behind them, this country is in some deep crap.

[1monster]

92. And it wasn't even a criminal call they answered!

[rasputin1952]

96. Self edit and reposted below...

:hi:

[rasputin1952]

100. Exactly...and what did this kid do to deserve this type of

reatment...he mumbled something the police found offensive. Poorly trained police will do almost anything, or use any excuse to exert power upon those who often are the least likely or capable of resisting.

30' fall, and no head injury? That is almost impossible, the jarring of the body frame alone would have produced all types or neurological damage, and it could have been worse than thought initially.

Where were the EMT's during all of this? If they were standing idly by, this too is criminal.

And the people who called this in, trying to ensure the safety of this youth, how deep does their guilt go, when they read how this 16 yo was treated? I would suppose they are wondering why they did what would normally be called, "the right thing to do". Perhaps people won't call in something potentially dangerous anymore, figuring the "help" sent could actually kill the person in distress..

[LaurenG]

74. I'm going to guess that they

told him to get up but since his back was broken he couldn't and it pissed them off because their damaged egos can't take "defiance." Rather than check for injuries they injured him further.

I am not fond of authoritarians in any form.

[mmm413]

76. The broken heel by itself would've prevented him

from doing anything threatening toward the cops. I broke my heel last year and was laid up, unable to walk, for THREE months. These cops are lying.

[Joe Chi Minh]

77. I thought this was some kind of sick joke, then I remembered this was

the US.

Comply with what? There's not an awful lot you can do with a broken back, surely? Keep him out of traffic to keep him from getting hurt? Kind of like bombing the village to save it. And with a broken back? That must be an insult, surely, even to their intelligence.

[Uncle Joe]

78. Take their tazers away, this is too much power to abuse for police to control.

Too many of them have grown to enjoy shocking the American People, this is like those psychological experiments when people were made to believe they were shocking other people, they gradually increased the amount to the point of electrocution had it been for real and the test subjects kept shocking their supposed victims anyway.

[Cronopio]

84. The kid is a sacrifice.

When your job is keeping an increasingly corrupt society at bay and you're vastly outnumbered like the Thin Blue Line is, you resort to well-publicized sacrifices like Mace.

When the Thin Blue Line itself is becoming more corrupt, as an individual policeman you need to prove your balls to your team - again, through a well-publicized sacrifice like Mace.

It's an old, tired, stupid game that is spinning out of the control of the people who are invested in it. If they didn't have tasers, they would have given him the Rodney King treatment with billy clubs. Every year, it gets more difficult to believe that people are smart enough to evolve out of this game before we self-destruct because of it.

[npk]

85. Tasers have replaced common sense

Cops have gotten so use to using tasers on people who may be passively non-compliant that now anytime somebody refuses to immediately respond to an officers orders they get tased. It used to be that cops would use their hands to bring a suspect into compliance, but now they just use the taser rather than putting their hands on a suspect.

[Rex]

87. Okay, I defend law enforcement all the time here and I am in the minority

BUT WHAT THE FUCK!? Anyone care to explain the 19 times part, I am a little fuzzy on procedures for approaching an unconscious person. Someone fill me in, please.

[mrfrapp]

118. Simple

The police identified someone they didn't like and they punished him. It happens all the time and the excuses the police give are swallowed whole by the law-fearing but in this instance their actions are indefensible.

[LeftHander]

88. probably tased him over the edge of the overpass...nt

[20score]

89. There is an epidemic of police brutality happening as of late.

The truth is it’s always been like this, but no one of importance believed the people reporting these things, now there is video and YouTube, so there’s proof.
The problem is not just a few bad cops, as is always made out to be the case; it is also the majority of supposed good cops that allow these things to happen.

It is past time for a nation-wide overhaul of our police departments! Despite the fact that cops hate to hear it… they do work for us!

[L0oniX]

103. This is what happens when killers come home from war and join the police force....

because they are unfit for normal peaceful society. My own cousin came back from Vietnam and became a cop and he told me he did it to get back on society. I will always remember that.

[defendandprotect]

140. The situation with police as "servants" of the people is hilarious . . .

I noticed that recently on a police officers car door!

Agree -- there has always been the threat of bad cops --- but three decades ago, they

began to hire only bad cops.

[Joanne98]

91. This one is easy to figure out. The cops pushed him off the overpass...

they thought the fall would kill him. To their horror, he was still alive, so they tried to taser him to death. To their horror, after 19 times, he was still alive. So they took him to the hospital hoping he would die there.

Why? Just for fun. Just because they are sadistic pricks!

[L0oniX]

94. Police brutality ...the fun part of law enforcement.

[jwirr]

109. So they tasered him so he would not get back into the traffic lane

and get hurt? What a bunch of idiots. Isn't it about time someone sue the hell out of the police after one of these incidents?

[ejbr]

112. I find this story hard to believe

the perp is not black.

[Barb in Atl]

159. I was told of another story...

...about the cousin of Mychal Bell of Jena 6. He was tasered to death while restrained. In my search, I came across this website:

http://taseredwhileblack.blogspot.com/

Seven incidents discussed, 3 fatal, one against a blind woman, one because the bicycle didn't have proper lighting.

And that's not including poor whites like (I'm assuming) this kid.

To those that wanted to point out that most cops aren't bad: a good cop that doesn't turn in a bad cop condones bad behavior.

[ejbr]

164. Exactly, fuck the thin blue line n/t

[malaise]

116. This is sickening

I hope this kid recovers so he and his family can sue these criminals

[Divine Discontent]

121. the people of that county need to be picketing them...

some more "heroes" doing their duty.

the last cop I dealt with was very nice, but, a lot (varies of course town to town, everyone should understand that fact) of them, I'd say easily a 1/3, are complete asshats...


More At - - - www.cafepress.com/warisprofitable

[JEB]

122. Cops & tazers

The cops are nothing but the Blue Gang. They are out to make money and consolidate their power. They love the tazer.

[pegleg]

128. When you see some of the crap they have to deal with -

they catch it from both sides and they are literally the omly ones standing between society and absolute chaos. I'll take the cops any day, minus some bad ones.

[defendandprotect]

142. Remember who's creating the "chaos" . . . the elites ---

Nor are the cops doing well either --- they're doing the dirty for the fascists ---

but in the end they're being undermined by the same elites in every way ---

from pay to benefits -- it's like being in the miliary.


There's nothing but corruption in police enforcement right now ---

[pegleg]

149. You just simply can't make blanket statements like that and be anywhere

close to reality.

[defendandprotect]

154. Here's reality .. . my state has been under Federal supervision . . .

do you think that happend because we don't have WIDESPREAD corruption in police

enforcement . . . ???

What in the hell do you think the Drug War is . . . ???

[Stump]

124. Fuck this...

After reading the "all cops are assholes" shit, this cop is fed up with DU...guess I can't be a good progressive and care about human rights since all cops are fascist pigs. Fuck all you who say that shit, not all cops are in it for a ego power trip and fuck you if you say otherwise, I know many good police officers who work to do the right thing and help people every day...tombstone me...I don't give fuck. I'll post elsewhere...

[pegleg]

135. You've got every right to feel the way you do.

[Pierre.Suave]

144. Someones having a temper tantrum...

Good thing you cant e-taser me aint it...

:eyes:

[jonmiller74]

146. Sorry to see you go...but

I think you may see in the reaction of these DUers the anger created by the few bad cops that are out there. Too often police seem to see everyone as a potential suspect than citizen and when police have an us against them mindset regarding the public, the public stops believing the police are there to help them. Case in point..last night my car was broken into and as a minority I feel safer paying for the repairs myself rather than interact with the police to file a report. It's too easy for that interaction to turn negative, so I feel it is better to leave them alone and hope they leave me alone.

[Lars39]

151. The UN Committee Against Torture has stated that taser use is torture.

[ProfessorGAC]

163. Buck Up

Quit being a weenie. The cops who did this are lowlifes. My friend just retired as a police captain after 30 years on the force in a big city. I can absolutely assure you he would never have done with these slimeballs did.

If you're a good cop, be a good cop. Quit pouting. The cops that this thread concerns deserve every bit of derision they're getting.

The Professor

[Greyhound]

170. So, how many times have you testified against other cops at inquests?

You're one of the 'good cops'? Prove it.

[Twist_U_Up]

175. Heres a question for you......

When the shit hits the fan and martial law is in effect, will you line up with the people or do as the guberment tells you to do?
I mean how awake are you?

Are you aware of the lies that have been spread to instigate this war that has killed over 4000 of our best and brightest?
Are you aware that the constitution has been shreaded?
Are you aware that the economy is damn near depression status.
Are you willing to pull your weapon on someone protesting these nazis?
Are you willing to spread the info to your fellow officers.
Are you prepared to lay your weapon down and join the people.

Now what ?

[sudopod]

188. BAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!

Someone made fun of me on the intarnet!!!1111one

[defendandprotect]

126. Could it be more unbelievable . . . !!! What kind of a threat could this kid possibly

have been to these officers . . . ?

Maybe they need two guns each --- and no tasers --- cause I think they're going nuts ---

In fact, I'm sure of it --- when we have really brutal leadership at the head of government ---

they tend to draw the most violent people to them ---

[Politicalboi]

153. This is disgusting

But like some have said here already there are good cops and bad cops. I for one have had no problems with cops. Well unless you consider them pulling me over for speeding. Which I always do. Just think of what your neighborhood would be like if all cops quit. I know I for one would not want to sit at home with a shot gun in hand protecting my family and belongings.

[sasquatch]

157. That's the problem, in some parts of the country you have to do that because the police are so

incompetent or corrupt.

Now Dayton cops are ok but the morons that run the police department forgot to fire this jackass kid that was working with them and the son of bitch went out there and shot an unarmed man. Now somebody needs to be sentenced to prison over this.

[truedelphi]

169. Cops are not all that interested in coming to the aid of people who need them

Women I knew who were stalked by complete asswipes couldn't get the cops to come until after other family members showed up and drove the guy off.

I'm sure it would have been handled differently if the women had been the sister or daughter of any of the local police. But if you are an average citizen, cops are not really around to help.

[Evoman]

178. Has the kid talked yet? You taser someone 19 times, your TRYING to kill them.

Bet you one of the pigs caused the broken back so they tried to kill him so he wouldn't talk.