Another "Taser-wielding RCMP officer"

[habernac]

Originally Posted by corporatejay

how is it this guy is blind in one eye, can't understand words when he's flustered and yet still is allowed to drive.....that makes me feel safe.

I get the flustered thing, but my left eye is pretty much useless and I can drive just fine. Ask the goalie I beat on Sunday for 4 goals how bad my eyesight is.

[Burninator]

Originally Posted by Snakeeye

Situations like this are exactly why cops carry tasers in addition to guns. The other alternative was to put him in a body bag.

Ha! If this police officers only choices are killing him or using the taser then he needs a new a job, or the police handbook needs to be rewritten, or this example doesn't fit at all. Probably the latter. Subduing him should be no problem. We don't know if he was a "spry old man" because there doesn't appear to be any mention of the police actually trying to subdue him. Come on now.

[JayP]

Originally Posted by RougeUnderoos

How do the police know everyone doesn't have a gun?

You guys know why these stories are so rarely in the news? Because they rarely happen. 99% of the time the cops manage to deal with someone without having to use a weapon. Do you think 99% of the people they interact with are 100% co-operative? I don't. So something in the math tells me that they manage to deal with uncooperative or even combative people without either shooting them or tasing them fairly often.

I know he's a feeble old man because he's A) and old man B) half blind and C) has some sort of neurological disorder. What more do you need?

This sort of situation doesn't happen frequently though.

The guy is unstable enough to get in car chase with the cops (although it was for only a block or two) and then gets out of his vehicle and starts a physical altercation. That doesn't seem like 99% of the time to me. If the guy is unbalanced enough to actually flee from the officer for even a second then there's no reason to expect that he's going to get arrested willingly. Why should the cop have to fight with this idiot and put himself in danger when he can taze him and end the situation?

If the RCMP throws the guy to the ground and cuffs him the same article is probably written because it involves a 68 year old man.

If anyone resists arrest and then goes after the officer I'd say it's probably fair to assume he could potentially have a weapon. People don't typically resist arrest over a traffic violation so it's fair to assume that he doesn't want to get arrested for other reasons.

And being half-blind and having a neurological disorder doesn't mean the guy can't put up a fight. I'd say a feeble old man has more to do with his ability to perform physical activities.

[Resolute 14]

Originally Posted by Burninator

Ha! If this police officers only choices are killing him or using the taser then he needs a new a job, or the police handbook needs to be rewritten, or this example doesn't fit at all. Probably the latter. Subduing him should be no problem. We don't know if he was a "spry old man" because there doesn't appear to be any mention of the police actually trying to subdue him. Come on now.

Actually, he did try to subdue him: he tased the guy.

I'm sorry, but you just can't ask anyone to risk their own lives on the assumption they can physically handle whoever is coming after them. Its been mentioned, but you can't know if the guy has a knife or a gun concealed.

It's a stupid risk for a cop to take. Based on what that article says, I would say the cop did the right thing. He used non-lethal force to subdue a suspect who already had two strikes on him, and was coming at the officer. Problem solved.

[Clever_Iggy]

Originally Posted by Snakeeye

Actually, he did try to subdue him: he tased the guy.

I'm sorry, but you just can't ask anyone to risk their own lives on the assumption they can physically handle whoever is coming after them. Its been mentioned, but you can't know if the guy has a knife or a gun concealed.

It's a stupid risk for a cop to take. Based on what that article says, I would say the cop did the right thing. He used non-lethal force to subdue a suspect who already had two strikes on him, and was coming at the officer. Problem solved.

I agree 100%. I fail to understand why cops should put their lives at risk further in order to prevent some senial old bat from getting a jolt.

A taser is a non-lethal device used to subdue suspects. The cop shouldnt have to try and wrestle the man to the ground first, realize it's not going to work, retreat and then tase the suspect.

The other alternative is pepper spray. That, IMO (as Ive experienced both), is much worse because the effects stay with you longer.

[Burninator]

Originally Posted by Snakeeye

Actually, he did try to subdue him: he tased the guy.

I'm sorry, but you just can't ask anyone to risk their own lives on the assumption they can physically handle whoever is coming after them. Its been mentioned, but you can't know if the guy has a knife or a gun concealed.

It's a stupid risk for a cop to take. Based on what that article says, I would say the cop did the right thing. He used non-lethal force to subdue a suspect who already had two strikes on him, and was coming at the officer. Problem solved.

I'll echo what Rouge said. Who said he was coming after him? Raising your hands is not coming after someone.

[RougeUnderoos]

Originally Posted by CaramonLS

The guy is currently being charged for assaulting a police officer too, so Rouge, in your opinion is the police officer covering his ass or did the guy come up and physically assault him?

He could be covering his ass, or maybe he got assaulted. None of us know. I guess we'll find out in court.

Originally Posted by CaramonLS

How then, should the cop have subdued the suspect Rouge? Maybe tackled him? But because he is such a "feeble old man", perhaps it would have broken his hip, but at least it wouldn't have been in the news.

Again, I don't know. But again the question "what should he have done".

What the hell did he do before he was issued a taser?

I swear to christ, some of you people must believe the taser was invented before gun powder.

Cops subdue people all the time without using a taser. All the time. More often than not they don't use a taser. Electrocution and gunfire are not the only options they have. Wouldn't know it going through this thread, but it's true.

Maybe this guy deserved to be zapped, I don't know. I do know it doesn't make any sense to say that it is inevitable that a person who is less than 100% co-operative is going to get it, as has been suggested numerous times.

[RougeUnderoos]

Originally Posted by Snakeeye

It's a stupid risk for a cop to take.

Well if that's the case, they take stupid risks all the time.

[CaramonLS]

Originally Posted by RougeUnderoos

What the hell did he do before he was issued a taser?

Probably used the Baton/Nightstick.

Pick your poison.

[RougeUnderoos]

Originally Posted by CaramonLS

Probably used the Baton/Nightstick.

Pick your poison.

Or probably not.

What the hell do you people think cops do out there?

[Clever_Iggy]

Originally Posted by CaramonLS

Probably used the Baton/Nightstick.

Pick your poison.

Pepper spray. Punch to the grill. Hard take down. None of which are preferrable to a taser.

[CaramonLS]

Originally Posted by RougeUnderoos

Or probably not.

What the hell do you people think cops do out there?

Or Probably. I'm not sure exactly what kind of expectations you have for police officers, but from the article, it makes it seems like this old man attacked the cop, because he is being charged with assaulting a police officer.

IF that is the case and he got physical with the cop, there is a good chance that a cop would have used a nightstick/gotten physical with him - at any point in time over the last 50 years.

What the hell do you think a cop does when he is attacked?

[Clever_Iggy]

Originally Posted by RougeUnderoos

Or probably not.

What the hell do you people think cops do out there?

Are you a cop? Im just wondering what proper protocol would be. And what would he have done before tasers?

"Sir, stay in your vehicle. Sir, stop where you are, place your hands on your head and turn around. Sir, stop walking towards me." At this point, what does a cop do? With a taser he gives at least one warning and with further non-compliance, shoots him with it. Without... he takes off his gun belt and proceeds to wrestle the suspect?

Everyone knows that a cop is looking out for his safety first. If you do something that makes the cop feel that he is potentially going to be harmed, he'll take preventative measures.

[RougeUnderoos]

Originally Posted by CaramonLS

Or Probably. I'm not sure exactly what kind of expectations you have for police officers, but from the article, it makes it seems like this old man attacked the cop, because he is being charged with assaulting a police officer.

IF that is the case and he got physical with the cop, there is a good chance that a cop would have used a nightstick/gotten physical with him - at any point in time over the last 50 years.

What the hell do you think a cop does when he is attacked?

The article doesn't really tell us what happened.

What do I think happens when they are attacked? Well I guess it depends on the situation. I doubt most cops would pull out the old nightstick and start swinging for the fences at the first sign of trouble. I think they probably weed those types out before they put them on the street.

Again, the reason we here about these stories is because they are extremely rare. Do you think this was the only guy in Canada who was uncooperative or even combative yesterday? Me neither. Why aren't we hearing about those hundreds of other people who got shot or tasered yesterday? Because they didn't get shot or tasered. They were dealt with without getting shot or tasered, as hard as that seems for some of you to believe.

Oddly enough, I think I have a little more faith in the abilities of your average cop than most of the other posters in this thread. I seem to be one of the only people that understands that they are trained to do a little more than shoot or electrocute people.

[JayP]

Originally Posted by RougeUnderoos

The article doesn't really tell us what happened.

What do I think happens when they are attacked? Well I guess it depends on the situation. I doubt most cops would pull out the old nightstick and start swinging for the fences at the first sign of trouble. I think they probably weed those types out before they put them on the street.

Again, the reason we here about these stories is because they are extremely rare. Do you think this was the only guy in Canada who was uncooperative or even combative yesterday? Me neither. Why aren't we hearing about those hundreds of other people who got shot or tasered yesterday? Because they didn't get shot or tasered. They were dealt with without getting shot or tasered, as hard as that seems for some of you to believe.

Oddly enough, I think I have a little more faith in the abilities of your average cop than most of the other posters in this thread. I seem to be one of the only people that understands that they are trained to do a little more than shoot or electrocute people.

The guy resisted arrest, drove away in his vehicle (potentially causing a car chase), and then pulled over, got out, and undoubtedly approached towards the officer.

That seems like a bit different than most situations RCMP officers deal with on a daily basis. If the guy is unstable enough to get in his car and drive away from a traffic ticket he's unstable enough to do a lot of things.

[CaramonLS]

Originally Posted by RougeUnderoos

The article doesn't really tell us what happened.

What do I think happens when they are attacked? Well I guess it depends on the situation. I doubt most cops would pull out the old nightstick and start swinging for the fences at the first sign of trouble. I think they probably weed those types out before they put them on the street.

Again, the reason we here about these stories is because they are extremely rare. Do you think this was the only guy in Canada who was uncooperative or even combative yesterday? Me neither. Why aren't we hearing about those hundreds of other people who got shot or tasered yesterday? Because they didn't get shot or tasered. They were dealt with without getting shot or tasered, as hard as that seems for some of you to believe.

Oddly enough, I think I have a little more faith in the abilities of your average cop than most of the other posters in this thread. I seem to be one of the only people that understands that they are trained to do a little more than shoot or electrocute people.

Again, you want to play both sides of the coin Rouge. You keep telling us "we don't know what happened", yet you are constantly insinuating that the cops used excessive force.

Which is it Rouge? Pick one and stick with it.

Also, plenty of people get tazed without you hearing about it.

[RougeUnderoos]

Originally Posted by CaramonLS

Again, you want to play both sides of the coin Rouge. You keep telling us "we don't know what happened", yet you are constantly insinuating that the cops used excessive force.

Which is it Rouge? Pick one and stick with it.

Laugh. Yes boss.

I'm constantly insinuating nothing. It sounds to me like this cop used excessive force. It happens. Or doesn't it?

[Burninator]

Originally Posted by JayP

The guy resisted arrest, drove away in his vehicle (potentially causing a car chase), and then pulled over, got out, and undoubtedly approached towards the officer.

That seems like a bit different than most situations RCMP officers deal with on a daily basis. If the guy is unstable enough to get in his car and drive away from a traffic ticket he's unstable enough to do a lot of things.

He wasn't being arrested for double parking. He was getting a ticket. The arresting part happened after he got out of the car.

Undoubtedly? I have some doubt. Mostly because it isn't stated anywhere. In fact only thing that eludes to people approaching other people is the police officer.

Peters told CBC News on Thursday. "I was protecting myself from his vicious advance."

I don't understand how you people keep jumping to this conclusion.

[RougeUnderoos]

Originally Posted by JayP

The guy resisted arrest, drove away in his vehicle (potentially causing a car chase), and then pulled over, got out, and undoubtedly approached towards the officer.

That seems like a bit different than most situations RCMP officers deal with on a daily basis. If the guy is unstable enough to get in his car and drive away from a traffic ticket he's unstable enough to do a lot of things.

A car chase? Jesus Christ, the cop probably wasn't even in his car by the time the guy stopped. It was a parking ticket.

You people are turning this Senior Citizen/Paper Boy into John Dillnger for crying out loud.

[MaxPower]

Originally Posted by Snakeeye

Actually, he did try to subdue him: he tased the guy.

I'm sorry, but you just can't ask anyone to risk their own lives on the assumption they can physically handle whoever is coming after them. Its been mentioned, but you can't know if the guy has a knife or a gun concealed.

As it has been said, physically handling someone is what they did before tasers came along. (No they didn't give one warning and then shoot). Police officers knew what they were signing up for, they get paid for it. I hope they all took a pay cut when tasers were introduced now that their job is that much easier.