As you can see in this video, he was on the phone with the 911 operator. His phone was clearly visible, and he didn't even point this lethal weapon at the officer! But this angry, out-of-control cop tased him anyway. His crime? In my opinion, it was "disrespecting a cop." But charges were filed -- disobeying an officer and reckless driving.
This is why I am opposed to "non-lethal" weapons for Law Enforcement. They know they won't get in trouble for using them to apply non-judicial punishment on unconvicted American civilians.
Here are some other links, all involving angry police, tasers and injury or death.
http://truthnottasers.blogspot.com/2011/03/new-mexico-man-dies-after-being-stunned.html
http://trib.com/homepage_lead/article_aa1dc338-8511-5995-9534-ce9499bbdf7a.html
Here's my favorite, a teenaged girl who was tased while running across the street.
Why do these officers behave this way? It's easy for me to understand. I received a statement like this from the Bernalillo County Sheriff Department when I complained about one of their deputies:
Your report of alleged misconduct, by Deputies of this Department, prompted a thorough investigation of the incident. Careful examination and evaluation of the evidence did not establish that the concerned Deputy's actions were contrary to our Department's Standard Operating Procedures.
Read my complaint below. I believe that not requiring law enforcement to restrain their bullying behavior leads to more bullying behavior. Do you think their department should change their Standard Operating procedures? I do.
August XX, 2010
To Whom It May Concern,
At approximately XXX, on this Monday, August XX, 2010, my wife, XXXXX was in a single-car accident on NM Highway 217. She called me, and I came out to pick her up. Because it was not an emergency, we did not call 911. Cell phone reception was very spotty, and my wife wanted to make her phone calls from home. So I brought her home.
A few minutes later, my wife remembered that she had left XXXXXXXXXXX [behind] and wanted to go back to where the car was. I told her to stay home, finish her phone calls, and I would pick up the XXXXXXXXXXXXX.
While I was trying to get into the car, several emergency vehicles showed up. The first people to approach the car were paramedics, who asked me not to disturb anything until law enforcement officials had the opportunity to examine the scene.
So I waited a few minutes, and was approached by Sheriff's Deputy XXXXXXXX, who asked me what happened. I told her that my wife had had an accident, and that she was home making phone calls. I said I had returned to pick up important XXXXXXXX. I mentioned also that the DirectTV man was at my house. Before I could finish my explanation, she started abusing me verbally. Yelling at me about how I cared more about the DirectTV man than my wife. About how my wife could be making her phone calls here. About how I should have called 911.
Shortly, I will explain why I was offended. But right now, I want to make you aware of some facts that reflect unfavorably, at least in my personal opinion, on XXXXXXXXX's suitability as a Deputy Sheriff:
- Deputy XXXXXXX never actually examined the scene. The car took down two trees. The trees completely obscured the inside of the car. Yet Deputy XXXXXXX didn't even look in the car. She was too busy berating me. The driver could have been dead. There could have been dead children inside. If there had been, she would never have known. Knowing would have required working your way through the branches and putting your head inside the open driver-side window. That's something Deputy XXXXXX did not do.
- Deputy XXXXXXXX put other drivers at risk. All of the emergency vehicles, except for two Deputy Sheriff cruisers, had left the scene. I was still waiting for Deputy XXXXXX to examine the car so that I could pick up the XXXXXXXXXX my wife had sent me for. Both cruisers parked pointed north, in the northbound lane. Two cars approached from the north, and two more approached from the south. Without even looking north to see the approaching cars, Deputy XXXXX nonchalantly waved the two northbound cars onto the southbound lane. It was only then that she noticed her mistake, and stopped the southbound cars. Her careless actions almost caused a real emergency. One that definitely would have warranted calling 911. If this wasn't an isolated incident (and good habits are the only things that can prevent this type of incident), you probably should expect people to get hurt in the future while she's on duty.
- Deputy XXXXXXX put her feelings before her duty. I later remembered that a man had been trying to loot the car. When I told Deputy XXXXXXX, she said, “Maybe if you had called 911 earlier, I would listen to you now!”
Why am I offended?
- I am offended because Deputy XXXXXXX was so intent on validating her existence as a big, powerful law enforcement officer, that she ignored the playbook. She ignored the twin tenets of her profession, Protect and Serve. She forgot that it's the court's job to berate, and instead decided that it's her job. And in doing so, she put the safety of the very public she was supposed to protect, at risk.
- I am offended because Deputy XXXXXXXXXXX, once she was done with whatever she was doing at the scene, left without telling me I could return to my wife's car. I'm offended because I spent a significant amount of time (an hour?) in the hot sun, respectfully waiting for the paramedics to return to the scene with my wife, and wasn't told that there had been a change in plans.
- I am offended because Deputy XXXXXXXX was so intent on berating me, that she didn't ask if I needed help. If she had actually examined the scene, she might have realized that I could use some help getting the car door open. For example, the offer of a saw, to cut away branches, would have been very useful and would have gone a long way towards casting the Bernalillo County Sheriff's Department in the role of an organization that actually helps in time of need. Instead, Deputy XXXXXXXX cast it in the role of an organization filled with bullies that just want to push their overgrown egos into citizens' faces.
I'm sure you've heard this many times. But I'm going to say it anyway, because I personally haven't said it to you: I am a law-abiding citizen. Unless and until I have been proven guilty, I'm innocent. So I expect to be treated civilly by civil servants. They don't have to treat me like I'm the boss. But they do have to treat me with respect. Not because they owe me respect, but because I am a citizen and respect is part of their job description.
An attitude like that displayed by Deputy XXXX can cause peaceful situations to escalate, or cause people to not trust “cops.” It's that exact same attitude that causes a member of law enforcement to kill a civilian when he/she could have been arrested peaceably. It makes people not want to call the cops when they truly are needed.
I am angered by the way I was treated by the Bernalillo County Sheriff's Department. This department's representative, Deputy XXXXXXX, was the agent of my mistreatment. But her actions do reflect on the entire Department, and can put a cloud on the reputations of even the Department's best deputies. She speaks for the entire department. All deputies do.
I know that a letter like this can't get a deputy fired. That's not even what I want. What I want is for public servants like Deputy XXXXXX to act less like enforcers, and more like public servants. The sheriff, and his/her delegates, do not have the right to berate. It's not “Berate and Belittle.” It's “Protect and Serve.” That's her job. I'm sure if she applies herself, she can learn to perform her duties with the self-discipline and respect for others that this important and visible position demands.
Sincerely,
John Reynolds
Taxpayer and Bernalillo County Resident
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