Student taser victim spared electric chair

"I am a far more reasoned individual than I was a short while ago"

That's electric shock therapy in action there, and can be delivered to your doorstep by people in smart uniforms. Nice. I'll be keeping my questions, all questions, succinct from here on in. Unless I can get into that S&B society.

Appropriate force, seriously?

3 security staff need to use a taser to remove a scrawny kid from a school hall?

If that was appropriate force for those guys, then I guess they need to be fired. They are clearly wimps, and therefore not suited to the job of security.

When are we going to start talking about regime change in the US? Torturing people for political dissent? I thought that used to be Iraq's bag?

More

Police should be granted more powers like these, damn upstarts!

Re: Appropriate force, indeed @Michael

Ah. So because a LEO gets tasered during training to understand its effects, that still makes it alright to taser the 'violent subject' because it might lash out and strike the officer (and causing an unsafe situation)?

And because us Poms disagree with such a simplistic policy ("sir, he created a dangerous situation, so I tasered him, nevermind the fact that he's practically half my weight, outclassed by me and my colleagues and we could've subdued him by other means"), we're misinformed or refuse to be informed. Is that it? Have I summarised your posting correctly?

Because if that's the case, then really... Oy vey. Oy. Vey.

calling 'police state'

I am an Operation Iraqi Freedom veteran, and used to be a Staff Sergeant Military Police officer, supervising about a dozen military policemen. My group gaurded convoys, and also spent a great deal of time as the "enforcers" in a military prison in Iraq (let's nip this in the bud - my unit was brought in after that Abu debacle). I was one of the people suppressing riots in the prison, etc., so things got rough sometime. Hence, I post anonymously in this case.

Now that you know my qualifications...@Michael....I am calling "police state". I am embarrassed and angered at the behavior of the campus police. Congrats to the person who took the video...it erases any doubt excessive force was used. More troubling is how the officers' behavior was found acceptable.

USA = morally 3rd world country

And they wonder why the rest of the world view them as a backward, third-world, bunch of CUNTS*.

* ( Cowardly Unjust Narcissistic Torturing Scumbags)

The cops are thugs but Meyers was still a bitch punk.

@ Hollerith - Yes, that is exactly what it should seen as.

Sadly, our fighting spirit as Americans has been so emasculated that we thank the authorities after being tortured for asking questions - yes, which is all he did.

Although too, Meyers and anyone else who refuses to stand up for their rights - or for the rights of others they see being violated by Creedy's Fingermen - is a punk bitch, IMO. He could have given that university so much hell for violating his civil rights, he could have actually stood up for himself, but instead he cowered as his courage ran down his leg into puddle beneath him.

Instead of pleading don't tase me bro, he should have recited the first amendment.

I was arrested by university police in NJ for disrupting an NSA/CIA recruitment meeting once and dragged off by cops. I exercised my right to remain silent after arrest and stood firm on my rights. Rather than fight the case (since they had assaulted another one of the arrestees in the process) they reduced charges of defiant trespassing and disrupting a public meeting to a simple violation of a noise ordinance - a small fine with no record - and no disciplinary action v. the students involved.

Nothing justifies the reaction of the police, but nothing justifies Meyers cowardice either. We just can't accept anymore excuses; "I was too afraid" sounds too much like "I was just following orders." No more good Germans, we need to be like Burmese protest monks.

Appropriate Force Re: Michael

I would hope that, as well as procedure a police officer would try to use his brain and realise that the out-numbered student posed little threat (apart from maybe a bruise?) and could have probably been dragged out with little effort.

I understand that most US police officers have to firstly consider the threat of a firearm and therefore take a more aggressive stance when pulling over people. However, having lived in both countries I find even though they are arseholes sometimes, UK police seem less aggressive and tend to have more respect for people as human beings.

@Michael

In your eagerness to justify tasing this guy, you seem to be missing the crucial point, which is that what he was doing i.e. asking a long and boring question instead of shutting up, hardly seems to be an offence for which you should be arrested, let alone tased.

Indeed, in the UK, arresting somebody without reason to do so is a criminal offence.

"I make the suggestion that you are misinformed or refuse to be informed"

You're entitled to, just as I'm entitled to make the suggestion that you are simply a neo-con apologist for what is clearly unacceptable behaviour from a police officer.

They tased monkey boy

for their own reasons, policies are not laws, nor do these constitute reasonable behavior, they punished him for resisting arrest, they didn't use it because they had no choice. He made them angry, he did not instantly respect their authority, in a way their sloped brains could recognize which might be for example, laying on his back, or sniffing their butts. Who didn't expect a whitewash from this pathetic institution? They hired these barely human trolls in the first place, so it must be what they wanted. I have to say for your own good don't come to my country not until we have worked a few things out hopefully it won't be as bloody as it was the last time (I wouldn't bet on it though).

Re: Tasered for resisting arrest

@ Carson.

Resisting arrest is one of the most unjust crimes ever created by a civilised society. Any protestor, (on any protest, regardless of it's merits) can be placed under arrest illegally for no reason. If they decide to resist arrest, (knowing that the arrest is illegal) they are then guilty of resisting arrest, and can then be legally arested. If that makes sense where you are, my heart bleeds for you.

He will have a fair trial and then be stung.

Tasers for everybody I say.

Why bother with costly Law Enforcement, what with all those silly laws and such?

Isn't it ironic that the "Land of the Free" that I was born and live in today is now sanctioning torture, sometimes, and allowing minimum wage rent-a-cops to zap overzealous kids who have bad manners? That will make those darned terrorists about coming to the Land of the Brave think twice now won't it?

Why that can't happen here. Well, I am telling you, my Dear, it has been happening here.

I think Texas "Hanging" Judge Roy Bean had it right way back in the 1800's when he was stating his viewpoint on an upcoming trial of a gent who was accused of cattle rustling. "He'll have a fair trial and then he'll be hung".This perspective seems to have been adapted to the 21st Century by our MBA President and his lovely Rasputin wannabe sidekick, Cheney the Crusader.

Common sense

The idiot was a jerk. He got what he deserved.

If you want to disrupt a public forum, you have to accept the consequences.

If he behaved like everyone else did and obeyed the rules then this would have never happened.

I am a far more reasoned member of the collective now that I have been assimilated

I am on sabbatical while the scars from the implants heal.

All hail the the American night

@Michael

1. To control a dangerous or violent subject when deadly force does not appear to be justified and/or necessary;

Clearly he wasn't dangerous. Strike 1.

2. If attempts to subdue the subject by other conventional tactics have been, or will likely be, ineffective in the situation at hand; or

Hmm. Three large security staff can't subdue a skinny kid effectively using "conventional tactics"? Strike 2.

3. If there is reasonable expectation that it will be unsafe for officers to approach within contact range of the subject

Maybe it's just me, but I wouldn't regard approaching an over excited teenager whilst backed up by 2 large colleagues of mine as unsafe. Strike 3.

Yes: He was very naughty boy. Did he deserve to be subjected to electric shocks for being silly? Personally, I think not.

The US can be an example to the world in many ways. However, I think I'm with majority in saying that this incident is NOT one of them.

Tasered? So what?

The Youtube video embedded in the article made me realise where the inspiration for Mortal Kombats character 'Scorpion' must have come from.

Which is even more entertaining than people trying to justify wanging 50,000v through a lad who appears about as dangerous [although, admittadly, just as annoying] as someone who answers their mobile in the cinema.

Steven R

See the video, read the news reports?

The guy CLEARLY wanted to create a scene - the reason he was videotaped was because he HANDED HIS VIDEO CAMERA TO SOMEONE AND ASKED THEM TO FILM IT - BEFORE HE BECAME DISRUPTIVE. It was a planned disruption, not a simple "being out of line and asking too many questions".

I'm sorry, if you plan to disrupt a public assembly, you SHOULD be asked to leave, and he was - peaceably. He refused, and continued to be disruptive. The campus police then attempted to remove him gently, and he fought back and resisted.

Now at this point, the police can either a) tackle, push, and possibly physically restrain and hurt him in an altercation to get him to leave, or b) tase him, which will hurt but will probably do no real damage.

See, the campus police are damned if they do, and damned if they don't. If he resists, and they use force, and he gets hurt, they are compared to jackbooted Nazis for being forcefull. If they tase him, they have used a high-tech weapon on him, and they are Darth Vader incarnate.

Let's just call a spade a spade - he was a prick, and tried to get that reaction. He got it, let's move on. But it ISN'T a free speach issue, it ISN'T a torture-state issue - it is some idiot demanding his 15 minutes of fame. Lame, not commendable.

We may get tased for being conspiracy theorists...

...but at least we don't ask our government to pretty please tell us which video games we're allowed to play as adults. As far as I'm concerned, the relatively consistent freedom of speech and thought we enjoy here - despite being severely tested - is fairly intact at a basic level, unlike in the wretched nanny state you've created in the UK, where it's actually illegal for you to own computer game because daddy government says it's bad for you.

Think about that for a minute: You guys are *not allowed to buy a computer game* and you're trashing on us for tasing a dumbass and letting him go? You've already given up your right to think for yourselves. You don't *need* to be tased anymore.

Thank you

Now I will feel sick all day long. Reading the article I was waiting for the "and he now sues the living daylights out of them" bit. Sadly, there was none. The time is ripe for the big cleanup.

@David Wiernicki

As you asked, I thought about what you said for a minute and my conclusion is this:

computer games are for idiots so it doesn't matter.

have a nice day.

@Michael

"The subject continued to resist arrest after first refusing to leave the premises under his own power and then escalating the situation by belligerently continuing to make a scene. This is considered 'disturbing the peace' and is an arrestable offense."

Your logic is circular.

He wasn't 'disturbing the peace' until they tried to arrest him, which you then use as justification for why they tried to arrest him... Which is it, were they trying to perform an illegal arrest, or is talking for to long in a Q&A an arrestable offence?

Only a yank could be so deluded...

Oh dear David, so what you're telling me is that in a country where the whole place went whacko over a bare nipple (a la Janet Jackson) or a game with sexual content (think GTA patches) you have more freedom of expression than us poor Brits?

Sad really, but then again I think I've found a candidate for a good tasering here - you.

wow...

I can't believe anyone is actually defending the police in this matter...

After watching the video on youtube, I am seriously angered at those so-called "authorities" working that campus.

I'm glad I'm not living in "the land of the free" - USA... Be ashamed! Be very ashamed of yourselves!

2 big lads can't handle a runt?

Sorry, but if two burly renta-cops can't run the guy out the room with an arm each, they don't deserve to be doing that job.

Take a lesson from the Mets, (metropolitan police London, not new york);

grab guy under the arm, 1 each per officer,

run at full speed towards the exit.

Officers stop at point of exit & let go.

Guy is ejected and probably going to come to some harm at standstill, but seeing as you're not holding him, he's done that himself - it's not your fault is it?

Americans, so much to learn....

Before.....

we in the UK get all high and mighty about the 'Land of the Free' would someone like to give one example of something this country used to be proud of that the authorities haven't f****d up big time.

We all suffer the same problem, heavy handed nanny state totally out of touch with any form of reality and way out of control.

Re: Manhunt reference

@David Wiernicki

It is perfectly legal to purchase Manhunt 2 (I assume this is what you're referencing) in the UK from a UK supplier, or to import it from outside the UK.

See http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2007/10/24/manhunt_bbfc_online_sales/

@ David Wiernicki

What video game is banned here? First I've heard of it.

As for real practical freedoms, we have just as many, if not more, than the good Ole USofA.Yeah, we live in a rapidly developing Nanny State but what on earth makes you think you don't? It's your damned government that started all this "we're stomping all over your civil liberties to protect you from the nasty terrorists" crap,.... and our bunch of waste of space political pussies are rolling over and taking it like nice boys do.

My advice is to get your own crumbling house in order before you start throwing stones at other peoples houses.

And the student moron deserved a good tasering. Any semi-intelligent person knows that if you push your luck that far yer gonna get splatted.

@David Wiernicki

1. Manhunt is illegal to buy in a store, you can legally download it as a purchase.

2. Don't talk nonsense about video games remember Grand Theft Auto San Andreas. Your next President Hillary Clinton wanted that banned because it had hidden sex scenes which A: are switched off in the game and B: show no genitalia.

Christ I would hate to wake up one day and be an american.

@ David

I'm inclined to agree with you that we brits do not need tasering as we allow our government to write a new law and then we all follow it... like sheep follow orders from a dog.

Our problem is that we allow our leaders to tax us out of existance and restrict our social mobility to the point where we are almost prisoners in our own country.

Add to that the fact that our officers aren't armed and the ones that are armed are hung out to dry when things go wrong.....

Brits accusing USA of being a Police State..... I would say we are the Sheep State.