Now a 72 Year Old Woman tazed

[Tobra]

Totally inappropriate and uncalled for. The cop was perhaps 100-150% bigger than she was, could obviously control her physically without the need to use a tazer. He was pushing her around with one hand, clearly exerting very little effort. A tazer could very easily kill a little old lady, when she fell, she could have hit her head or broken a hip or more likely stop her heart.

Cop over-reacted, used excessive force. If you disagree with this, prove something I stated above incorrect.

[Joeaksa]

Originally Posted by Kurt V

Odd policy that you get arrested for refusing to sign the ticket. Here the officer just writes "refused to sign" on the ticket and sends the person on their way.

Agree and that was what surprised me. She does not have to sign, and he had an attitude.

Sorry guys but he pushed her. Watch the video and there was some traffic but not right then and he is using that as a crutch. As well he is twice her size.

She should have signed the ticket but when she did not he should have tossed it in the open window and sent her on her way. The tazing went a bit too far IMHO and yes the Sgt on the video was a dick.

[Jeff Higgins]

Originally Posted by Tobra

Totally inappropriate and uncalled for. The cop was perhaps 100-150% bigger than she was, could obviously control her physically without the need to use a tazer. He was pushing her around with one hand, clearly exerting very little effort. A tazer could very easily kill a little old lady, when she fell, she could have hit her head or broken a hip or more likely stop her heart.

Cop over-reacted, used excessive force. If you disagree with this, prove something I stated above incorrect.

Using his overwhelming size and strength would more likely lead to serious injury to the old bitty. Yes, he could obviously control her physically. Her attitude indicated she would likely resist. Then she would have really gotten hurt.

I guess he could say "pretty please" a few times...

[Mo_Gearhead]

Actually, a round-house kick to the head would have made for better video

...assuming, of course, he was NOT wearing steel-toed boots.

[stomachmonkey]

Originally Posted by Kurt V

Odd policy that you get arrested for refusing to sign the ticket. Here the officer just writes "refused to sign" on the ticket and sends the person on their way.

Officer has the choice to do that here in TX.

If he was truly concerned about their safety he would have done that and gone on his way instead of pulling her from the car which immediately puts both of them in more danger by exposing both of them to traffic AND increasing the length of time they spent on the roadside.

[Moses]

Originally Posted by Jeff Higgins

I guess he could say "pretty please" a few times...

Did everybody miss the part where she agreed to sign the citation BEFORE he tazed her?

I think the problem is that she didn't show him the "respect" he requires. Nothing establishes dominance like 50,000 volts in the neck.

[Rick Lee]

If there are no consequences for refusing to sign the ticket, why would anyone ever sign them? I thought getting stopped and cited is the same as getting arrested, and signing the ticket just means you can go on your way and promise to deal with it later. Refuse to sign and you go to jail. I've fought plenty of tickets, but not on the side of the road and I always signed. I hope the old lady doesn't win a dime and is on the hook for the cost to the state for defending her lawsuit.

[Jeff Higgins]

Originally Posted by stomachmonkey

Officer has the choice to do that here in TX.

If he was truly concerned about their safety he would have done that and gone on his way instead of pulling her from the car which immediately puts both of them in more danger by exposing both of them to traffic AND increasing the length of time they spent on the roadside.

Good information. I was under the impression he had to arrest her if she did not sign. Knowing that he had the option to simply write "refuses to sign" on the ticket, ending it calmly and safely right then and there, changes everything.

So, it boils down to a personal afront. A blow to the officer's ego. A "must win" situation for him. He wasn't going let the foul mouthed old bitty get the better of him, no matter how irrelevant her "victory" might be. He was going to win god damn it; he was going to show her who's the boss. And introduce new and unnecessary risk into the situation.

The man needs to be fired. He needs to be charged with assault. He needs to go to jail. And again, people - citizens' review panels. Could you imagine informing the panel of his legal option to write "refuses to sign" on the ticket, handing it back to her, and leaving. Then show them the video.

[stomachmonkey]

Originally Posted by Rick Lee

....I thought getting stopped and cited is the same as getting arrested....

Depends on what you are stopped for.

Infractions are not a crime and as such are not subject to arrest which is why they also don't get the benefit of a jury trial or court appointed attorney.

[Super_Dave_D]

She was 72 - He could have spun her around and slapped on the cuff in 3 seconds if he wanted. The taser just gives him an excuse!! So what if she was being a B!! Shes an old lady!

[rouxroux]

Originally Posted by Super_Dave_D

She was 72 - He could have spun her around and slapped on the cuff in 3 seconds if he wanted. The taser just gives him an excuse!! So what if she was being a B!! Shes an old lady!

Yes, and she was trying to use that very fact (her age) to squirm her way out of the ticket while she was still in the truck. If you saw the interview at her house, you could see she was a very calculating old bag, probably still getting into bar fights on the weekend.

Hey granny, be careful what you wish for, you might just get it.

[the]

You have to use these tasers regularly, otherwise the seals go bad.

[Tobra]

Originally Posted by Jeff Higgins

Using his overwhelming size and strength would more likely lead to serious injury to the old bitty. Yes, he could obviously control her physically. Her attitude indicated she would likely resist. Then she would have really gotten hurt.

I guess he could say "pretty please" a few times...

Sorry Jeff, you are quite simply wrong. I see by your later post that you realize this.

Where are the LE apologists on this thread? They were all over the kid getting assaulted and turned into a vegetable for no good reason.

[berettafan]

Oh wow a peckerhead traffic cop, that's novel.

[berettafan]

What a MAN knows is that if a 72yr old woman wants to tell him to piss off and throw the ticket in his face he will let her do so with no harm.

What you have there is a person who knows nothing of respect and courtesy yet demands it from everyone.

[m21sniper]

Originally Posted by widgeon13

I have no problem with his actions, 72 YO was stupid. All she had to do was follow his instructions and she chose to be an idiot.

Yes, god forbid he actually let a 72yo woman stand where she wants to stand. NO! YOU MUST SUBMIT TO MY WHIM YOU OLD BIATCH!

Definitely best to Taze her "for her own safety."

Some of you people are looney toons insane. It's no fking wonder we live in a police state with the apologists that are out there enabling the gestapo to do pretty much anything they want.

[m21sniper]

Originally Posted by masraum

I haven't watched the video, but when a cop asks you to do something, just do it, and you won't have problems.

This is an idiotic statement.

And this woman's "crime"? 60 in a 45 zone....what a freaking joke. And what's so "dangerous" about this stretch of road? It's no different than any other.

And why not let her get back in the car? She already signed the frakking ticket. Total fking scumbag cop provoked this entire incident. On top of it, they charge HER with resisting arrest.

As for the "what's the cop supposed to have done?" crowd, how about simply picking her up, putting her over your shoulder, and carrying her where ever you wanted her to be and simply putting her down?

Nah, this woman needed a dose of 150,000 volts just so some scumbag control freak could get his rocks off.

Originally Posted by Kurt V

Odd policy that you get arrested for refusing to sign the ticket. Here the officer just writes "refused to sign" on the ticket and sends the person on their way.

Same here. I thought it was that way everywhere. What possible reason could exist to lock people up for not signing a ticket?

There is none.

Originally Posted by Moses

Pair of morons. One has a tazer.

Shortly after the stupid woman exits the truck she says, "OK, I'll sign the #$%&ing thing." Should have been done right there. Had the officer responded with "Thank you, ma'am." There would have been no need for a tazer.

YEP

The cop was a scumbag control freak though...

[ChkbookMechanic]

Originally Posted by m21sniper

And this woman's "crime"? 60 in a 45 zone....what a freaking joke. And what's so "dangerous" about this stretch of road? It's no different than any other.

The stretch of Highway 71 where she was pulled over is where most of the traffic fatalities in the Austin area happen.

[m21sniper]

Originally Posted by fingpilot

I've watched the vid. She was lucky she was only tased.

Dude, you terrify me.

Originally Posted by ChkbookMechanic

The stretch of Highway 71 where she was pulled over is where most of the traffic fatalities in the Austin area happen.

Well maybe he shouldn't have freaking pulled her over there....

Originally Posted by stomachmonkey

Officer has the choice to do that here in TX.

If he was truly concerned about their safety he would have done that and gone on his way instead of pulling her from the car which immediately puts both of them in more danger by exposing both of them to traffic AND increasing the length of time they spent on the roadside.

So in other words, he was just being a cranky fking CONTROL FREAK???

Originally Posted by Rick Lee

If there are no consequences for refusing to sign the ticket, why would anyone ever sign them? I thought getting stopped and cited is the same as getting arrested, and signing the ticket just means you can go on your way and promise to deal with it later. Refuse to sign and you go to jail. I've fought plenty of tickets, but not on the side of the road and I always signed. I hope the old lady doesn't win a dime and is on the hook for the cost to the state for defending her lawsuit.

You are seriously misinformed and as a consequence your conclusion is well off the mark.

[island_dude]

So I watched the video. I am absolutely convinced that the COP totally out of line. He pushed her at least twice in the video and he tased her after pushing her and well after she agreed to sign the ticket. If fact, I question his justification for pushing her the first time. I realize that she was disrespectful and did not fully comply. She was a nasty old lady too.

She used profanity. So what? She never laid a hand on the cop. Her only resistance was verbal and over an administrative point. The speed she was going did not meet the threshold of reckless. We have seen this before with the requirement to sign a ticket. Most people assume that they are admitting guilt when they do so. I have never been required to sign a ticket and if I was, I would want to understand why I would be required. She was simply told to do so. I know of no law that says that I need to be polite to a cop (it is common sense though).

There are case where a Cop can ask you to voluntarily wave your rights (e.g. searching a vehicle when there is no obvious cause to). Are we all required to do this as part of our compliance? It is absolutely not true that we have to do everything a cop tells us to. We have certain rights and we are not obligated to to give them up just because a LEO decides he wants it to be that way.

One last point. The cop that was representing the police department emphasized that the officer in the video was a instructor and would know if it was dangerous to use on her. Lame, very lame. Tasers are officially referred to as "less lethal". The vast majority of the time they do not do more than advertised, but they certainly can kill. Its fool hardy to use them as a first resort especially on a traffic stop for normal speeding.