Trooper Tazers Guy For Not Cooperating

[Phil Lilley]

What do you think? Read some of the comments...

My opinion- the trooper would have had to physically restrain this guy eventually so why not use a device that's made for sure a situation. The guy wasn't harmed.

This is just the world we live in now... crazy people roaming the rodes and troopers put their life on the line. Who knows what this guy was up to- on drugs? Seemed like he wasn't all there. Traffic speeding by- you could make a case that the trooper was trying to protect the guy from being hurt IF he had to restrain him physically.

But I may be all wet....

[Rusty]

I saw this a cuple of days ago, and my thought was the LEO was overzealous. His reply to any question was to throw orders. My question is, what was said when he very causually went to make contact at first? You couldn't hear anything. He didn't appear to be concerned about his saftey when he leaned into the window at first contact. And, too leave the guy laying in a traffic lane while he gathers up the tazer leads, whats up with that?

I will be the first to defend a LEO, luckily there was a camera. My guess is the kids in the vehicle will have college payed for.

Both were wrong though. Fight the ticket in court, that's the right way to do it.

DON'T TAZE ME BRO

[davekeim]

After watching three times and letting six hours go by before this response. Had to think carefully on this one. Thanks for making my brain think Phil!

My bro is a cop. He first would have wrestled with this guy before the tazer. The guy was calm, cooperative and did not receive any answers to his questions. The wife was more agressive.

The cop pulled over just before the 40MPH sign and let the guy breeze by and then made a stop. I think we all have gone by a 40 doing 50.

My brother would not have slapped that fellow on the back for a job well done.

Let's go FISH!

Three weeks until I'm offically an Ozarkian!

Oh yeah. Hey Leonard I'll be less than a mile from ya! The new home is on Primrose.

Signed,

Cardiac

[Flatlander]

I looked at this video once and can see exactly why the driver was Tazered. That is probably because I have been in the business for a couple of decades.

The driver, after being told why he was stopped, would not give the Trooper his DL, a violation of law in most states. After the Trooper got the DL from the chuklehead the citation was written. The driver refused to sign the thing. In many states, Utah included, you can be arrested for refusing to sign a citation.

The Supreme Court ruled several years ago that officers cannot tell drivers that they will go to jail if they don't sign - it is considered a threat. So, it is the policy of many departments, based on the ruling by the Supremes, that once a driver refuses to sign then arrest is imminent. This is what happened in this case. May seem like it sucks, but that is the reality.

The driver was ordered out of the SUV only after refusing to sign the citation and told he was under arrest. He did not comply. He wanted to argue. The driver acted as though he was in control of the car stop. He was told to place his hands behind his back. He did not! The driver turned to go back to his SUV. Notice that the driver was placing his fingers into his right front pocket. Knife? Derringer or other small handgun? Pepper mace????? This is a RED FLAG for any officer. I would have tazed him also. From the beginning of the stop the driver was non-compliant and his actions dictated whether or not he was going to be arrested.

The fact that the driver didn't agree with the citation does not give him or anyone else the right to resist arrest. It is a law in every state in the nation - I believe - that it is unlawful to resist arrest, even an illegal arrest. (If you are illegally arrested then the law of the land allows you to seek civil remedy.)

There was one area the Trooper goofed. He left the driver alone to go speak with the wife. The driver got up and walked around on his own. BAD tactics!

All in all, the Trooper did a satisfactory job of dealing with the driver and even with the wife while in a high tension situation caused by the driver. If the Trooper had not yelled at the wife to return to the SUV, then chances are she would have engaged the officer and she too would have been arrested and the SUV towed.

I'm with the Trooper.

Look at the video objectively and I believe you will be also.

Flatlander

(Police Trainer)

[brittsnbirds]

The guy is lucky the trooper had a tazer. Could have led to a good ole fashin @## whoopin in my city!

[The Caddis]

Not taking sides on this one, but seems they have a problem up north.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21956685/

[Flatlander]

It is sad that the media, whether in Canada or here in the U.S., will focus on the tools that are used to control the deranged and irrational rather than issues that deranged and irrational person has. The man in Canada was acting irrationally. This is often the case with people on mind altering - illicit - drugs such as cocaine, methamphetamines, etc...... As is usually the case with the media, they will go after the officers sent to control the problem person instead of the problem person. The Canadians have had three incidents and yet no mention of what the three may have had on board or what serious medical conditions they may have had. And don't forget, there are warnings prior to a tasing. If a person ignores the orders to submit, then they are tazed.

There has yet to be one death, yes only one death, that can be directly attributed to the Taser. In each case where a death has occured after a Taser was used, it is found that the suspect was under the influence of illicit drugs or had some other condition that "directly" caused their death.

If someone is going to die from a Taser application, they will die when it is used, not thirty hours later. There have been deaths occur contemporanious with the use of the Taser. At autopsy it was discovered that the cause of death was attributable to some other reason.

The Taser was just a tool that law enforcement used to get them into custody. The old method - and I have had to use it - was to mace someone or use a night stick and beat the person into submission, or both. I personally don't like the night stick as it causes muscle and bone damage to the suspect. Without the Taser law enforcement would have to return to the "beat them into submission" days of old. And don't forget, there were criminals who died in those situations too. Think there is whining now............... take the Taser away from law enforcement and hold your hands over your ears.

Flatlander