Woman getting tazed...

[clayj]

Police often insist on grabbing or "manhandling" suspects which only escalates the situation, especially when that person is intoxicated. Its unneccisary force not excessive because they police are only doing what they're trained to do. They did'nt have to Taz her but admittedly it was very funny in a sick way.

I think part of the problem here is that the woman insisted on copping an attitude toward the officers:

Officer: "Ma'am, please open the door and get out of the car."
Woman: "OK, I'll get out in a minute."
Officer: "NOW, ma'am, get out of the car."
Woman: "I SAID in a MINUTE!"
Officer: "Ma'am, this is the last time I'm going to say it. Get out of the car."
Woman: "When I'm FINISHED!"

Too many people are too damn stupid to understand that when the police arrive, you are supposed to do what they say RIGHT when they say it. The officer is likely concerned that you've got a holdout piece under your seat, and he does NOT want to get shot in the line of duty. Their job allows them to use force if and when they see fit.

The exchange above should have gone like this:

Officer: "Ma'am, please open the door and get out of the car."
Woman: "Yes, officer." (IMMEDIATELY drops whatever she's doing, opens door and steps away from car in non-threatening manner)

 

[corywoolf]

Up here where I live, that's considered excessive force by the police. Our police are more gentle when dealing with suspects, in this case, a woman who was clearly unarmed. She seemed a little pissed the officers were yelling at her and disrespecting her wishes not to be manhandled.

Police could always approach targets with calmness and definitely without the shouting.

Yeah but if your a cop you are taught to intimidate the offender, it makes sense. If your a cop and don't act serious and if you show any fear, you could very well get hurt. Who are you going to listen to? A cop who looks like he/ she isn't confident or a cop that shows how serious the situation is. I always thought it seemed extreme too, but put yourself in their shoes. Going out every day/ night meeting strangers who are potentially dangerous, you don't know if they can fight or if they are armed. It's just like the Military, where you should always be intimidating to the offenders, you don't go into a building full of strangers in Iraq without putting on a tough face and showing authority.

I am not saying that some cops don't ever mistreat people though, just the majority don't mean for their toughness to be taken personally. After the day's over, most cops are just like you and me. It's all about showing that you are in charge of the situation.