Grandmother Tasered at Traffic Stop

May as well just make a police state forum there is one of these stories every single day it seems like, and since the police are never held accountable there is no reason for them to stop.

Originally posted by ElectricUniverse
Why is everyone bashing all cops for the actions of a few?

This would be the same as bashing, and blaming every "white men" for some "white men" being NAZIS, or bashing and blaming every "black man" for the actions of a few black men, or bashing and blaming "all hispanics" for the actions of a few hispanics....

If ALL COPS were doing this, we would be seeing people being tasered every hour or so.

This cop in specific however should be suspended without pay, if not fired. That is unless the woman was reaching for a gun, or a knife, then i could see why a cop would do this, even to a 72 year old woman, but there is no mention of this in the story.

[edit on 1-6-2009 by ElectricUniverse]

It is true that not all cops are bad and some certainly spoil it for the rest but the problem is the ever increasing thug mentality, especially when it comes to arrests using violence..

Here we have a Travis County Constable deputy (not named in the article) tazering a 72 year old great grandmother which is bad enough but to make it worse we also have a constable (Pct. 3 Constable Richard McCain) appearing on television saying that the tazering was appropriate.

Release the tape and prove it!

reply to post by theknuckler

so, if he couldn't use a taser, what would he have done? Shot her? Use the billy club? tackled her to the ground and arrested her?

What would he have done if he didn't have a taser ? I'm pretty sure that if he had no taser he would have been able to get the situation under control without resorting to violence. They seem to think that using a taser is non-violent, but it is.

The point is that the police have become too reliant on tasers and they no longer seem to even attempt to reason with a person. I don't understand why he allowed it to escalate anyway, she just refused to sign the ticket he had her licence, he should have just given her the ticket and sent her on her way.

Granny must have put up a hell of a fight in order for this to be justified AT ALL.
She has got to have the body of a linebacker, the teeth of a pirate, and the attitude that even Christian Bale would be scared of.
This cop must have really been petrified of this woman. Thats the only way I can see this being justified.

These damn cops are really starting to bug the hell out of me, take the tazers away!

You know, I keep hearing people say "stop judging all cops, they are not all like that, the majority of them are good". I beg to differ, I think these days the good cops are the minority, and I say that because I have known a lot of cops because of where I used to work.
Cops are people just like you and me, but what people fail to see is, that when you give me or you, or the next guy more power over someone else, chances are they are going to abuse that power just for the simple reason that they can. Hell, one of my best friends is a cool dude, but I wouldnt dare let him join the force because of the way he is(we all have those friends that you couldnt even trust to watch your cat while you are away on vacation). Yet these are the people whom usually join the police.
Capt. Save A's that think that they can make a difference by beating up the weak in the name of Justice(such as this case).

Now I know that these cops go through psychological screenings before they join, but I do not think that they are going about it in the right way because of the lack of memberships is making them waive whomever they choose. These days, the police will take whomever they can, and that is what is most frightening to me.

I hope that this lady gets the justice that she deserves, cause she definately didnt deserve a tazer, I dont care how big, bad and burly she was. DONT MESS WITH GRANDMA!!

Do they realize how many 72 year olds would have pacemakers right near that spot where he tazed her? Or have heart problems?

What we have is a situation where 'resisting arrest' has become a crime that is something a cop accuses someone of, judges, and executes the punishment.

This resisting arrest stuff, it is ludicrous. Who made that crap up? Heck, cops are so scary it is becoming natural, instinctual, to want to resist arrest. People are scared of them.

It actually makes me sick that they would even think of doing this! She could of died, plus they didn't know what illness(s) she could have had...

There needs to be a social movement to stop this once and for all!

I don't like cops.
Never have, never will.
Now if they had a separate entity alltoghether for "traffic stop" violations, I may change my opinion.
But there shouldn't be a mutli-purpose badge wearing officer who thinks he can, ticket, taser, and arrest anyone they please.

I don't like cops.

I have refused to sign tickets plenty of times. It is not necessary, they normally just right refused to sign and hand it to you anyway. If you throw it out the window, they right you a ticket for littering, LOL! Been there, and done that.

Either we don't have the whole story, or this cop has problems doing his job. People get irate at traffic stops regularly, but the cops are used to it and just go about their business.

I got pulled over immediately after my divorce hearing for getting in a left turn lane too early. The cop was on a motorcycle on the sidewalk! We had a pretty heated argument about who was doing the more dangerous act. I tried to take his ticket book and write him a ticket!! He unbuckled his Tazer and I asked him how quickly he thought he could pull it out. There was a tense standoff until he 'flipped the script' on me, and started using psychology! He asked why I was so upset today, he calmed down and walked over and talked to me like a human, and the situation ended with me getting the original ticket.

-------EDIT------------


Screw it, you people obviously only want to trash cops.

[edit on 2-6-2009 by Tiloke]

-------EDIT------------


Screw it, you people obviously only want to trash cops.



[edit on 2-6-2009 by Tiloke]

Originally posted by Tiloke

Originally posted by getreadyalready
I have refused to sign tickets plenty of times. It is not necessary, they normally just right refused to sign and hand it to you anyway. If you throw it out the window, they right you a ticket for littering, LOL! Been there, and done that.

Bullcrap, plain and simple. Everywhere in the US requires you to be arrested if you refuse to sign the ticket.

Uh, No they don't. Nowhere I have ever lived requires you to sign the ticket. The officer will tell you, this is not an admission of guilt, this is just acknowledgement that you received the citation. I normally sign, but there have been several occassions that I did not, and I have not been berated, harrassed, or arrested any of those times.

Some states have a line on the traffic citation where you acknowledge the summons and agree to appear for court. It doesn’t matter if you sign or not, you are still required to be in court on the date listed on the ticket.

www.speedingticketcentral.com...

Just the quickest source I found; there are plenty more!

OK, there was one source that said refusal to sign, may result in you being taken in to be formally charged, because you have not signed the "Agree to appear" section of the ticket. In my experience that never happens.

Originally posted by getreadyalready

Originally posted by Tiloke

Originally posted by getreadyalready
I have refused to sign tickets plenty of times. It is not necessary, they normally just right refused to sign and hand it to you anyway. If you throw it out the window, they right you a ticket for littering, LOL! Been there, and done that.

Bullcrap, plain and simple. Everywhere in the US requires you to be arrested if you refuse to sign the ticket.

Uh, No they don't. Nowhere I have ever lived requires you to sign the ticket. The officer will tell you, this is not an admission of guilt, this is just acknowledgement that you received the citation. I normally sign, but there have been several occassions that I did not, and I have not been berated, harrassed, or arrested any of those times.

Some states have a line on the traffic citation where you acknowledge the summons and agree to appear for court. It doesn’t matter if you sign or not, you are still required to be in court on the date listed on the ticket.

www.speedingticketcentral.com...

Just the quickest source I found; there are plenty more!

OK, there was one source that said refusal to sign, may result in you being taken in to be formally charged, because you have not signed the "Agree to appear" section of the ticket. In my experience that never happens.

Wow, you found some internet "experts" on a random blog that say you don't have to sign. And random people in random internet blogs always give the greatest advice, don't they.

Thank you fore telling me how to do my damn job. Because obviously you have so much more experience than me. Perhaps you missed the part where it says "certain states".

Here is our policy, no exceptions.It doesn't matter if the ticket is for speeding and reckless endangerment or for littering.

By signing the citation, you are not admitting guilt. By signing, you are saying you will appear in court on the date indicated on the citation to defend yourself against the charge. In a sense, the signature works as an O.R. (Own Recognescence) bond, if you refuse to sign, you will go immediately to jail. You are then presenting yourself in leiu of presenting a signature.

But whatever dude, keep spreading half-truths and rumors, keeps me in a job.


P.S. Hope to see you speeding in my jurisdiction soon.

[edit on 2-6-2009 by Tiloke]

Originally posted by Tiloke

Thank you fore telling me how to do my damn job. Because obviously you have so much more experience than me.

I take it your a cop then?
Then whats your opinion of this taser incident?
Do you think it was justified?

Also i assume your one of the many good cops as your on ATS willing to talk.
Are you doing anything to help weed out the bad apples when you come across them?

reply to post by Styki


If his dash cam was on and working then there should be no contest to this story. However, the video has yet to be released. Just like the tape of the "plane" hitting the pentagon, if they have nothing to hide, why then will they not reveal the truth? If this lady was irate and violent it would ring true on the video and the officer would not be charged with any kind of sexual assault or wrong doing. The woman would then get the proper charges. But, still no tape.

Also it is my opinion that he should have not used the force he did unless she had some kind of weapon. Any officer that cannot control a woman of 72 should probably get some better training.

reply to post by Tiloke


You do not go to jail. If the state has such a requirement (maybe yours does), then refusing to sign means you go and post a bond with the court. You do not go to 'jail', unless there is an accident, injury, or other felony crime involved.

Since most cities do not have 24-hour traffic court, and the citizen can't be imprisoned for a misdemeanor, the officer is in sort of a pickle. Therefore, most officer's just write "refused to sign." As an officer, some states allow you to seize the driver's license in lieu of a signature. That is kind of funny, because they can't drive away at that point.

You are correct that the signature is an agreement to appear before the court, but once the citation is issued, it does not matter if it is signed or not.

How do the red-light camera's get signatures? Will I be arrested if I continue to drive? What about toll booth runners? The signature is a formality, but it is not required.

An overzealous cop (maybe such as yourself) could read whatever they want in that requirement you posted, but the law is in the state statutes and the city and county ordinances, not in your departmental regulations.

I am a subject of the law, not your departmental regulations. At the time of the citation, I am guilty of nothing, and therefore I do not have to comply with unlawful demands from an officer. Try to arrest me! Like I said before, there are some great cops out there, and I have encountered a lot of them. There are also some terrible ones, and I thoroughly enjoy rubbing their noses in it! I have been in some sticky situations, but normally a higher ranking officer comes along and schools the rookies! I have gone to jail several times, many times deservedly, and a couple that were illegal. I have cost at least two officers their jobs, and I am proud of such, because they did not have the public's best interest at heart. They were all too excited about being cops, instead of serving the public! I have many more stories if you would like to hear them.


EDIT:
By the way, I am not confrontational just for fun. I highly respect the jobs that officer's do. One of my good friends is a police chief, several of the members of my Masonic lodge are Highway Patrol, Deputy Sheriffs, and City Cops. One of my best friends in the world is an FBI agent.

I just believe it is every citizen's duty to know and enforce their rights before they are all eroded away. I am always very polite, and yet firm. I comply with what is justified and I flatly refuse that which is not. If the officers try to overstep their authority, I advise them that they are going to need a supervisor or some help, but I am non-threatening. Refusing an unlawful order should not be construed as a threat, but a lot of cops don't realize that.

[edit on 2-6-2009 by getreadyalready]

reply to post by L.HAMILTON


It all starts with the interview:

A man seeking to join a Sheriff's Department is being interviewed. The Deputy doing the interview says: "Your qualifications all look good, but there is an attitude suitability test that you must take before you can be accepted."

Then, sliding a service pistol across the desk, he says: "Take this pistol and go out and shoot six illegal aliens, six meth dealers, six Muslim extremists, and a rabbit."

The man replies, "Why the rabbit?"

"Great attitude," says the Sergeant. "When can you start?"

----------------------------------------------

Just like the fluoride in our drinking water, they must be putting something in the doughnuts to make these cops act like this.

Originally posted by ElectricUniverse
Why is everyone bashing all cops for the actions of a few?

Because the rest of them haven't been caught on some citizens video recorder yet?

Seriously, I bet if you searched into the background of most cops, you'll discover they were playground bullies when they were children.

[edit on 2-6-2009 by Divinorumus]

The police are becoming more militarized as time goes on. I don't know how it is in small towns but I know here in NYC they LOVE to hire ex military for police. Preferably as soon as they get out. I suppose this is viewed as a good thing by some but I have a huge problem with that. You take someone who just spent a few years in Iraq or Afghanistan and throw them on the streets of NY there are going to be problems.

It's a different job and mindset. The military's job (any military force) is not crime prevention (clean up), or protection. It's to bring overwhelming force upon your adversary so as to make them submit or die resisting. Is this the training you want the man to have who just pulled over your mother or sister? Sure, the police go through retraining but I've seen firsthand how the military thought process takes a little while to subside, if it ever does.

I've not gone through the training but I know some who have and it seems they are not trained to 'protect and serve' but to enforce or else.

My 2 cents.

Click here for more information.

reply to post by Tiloke


Dude, no offense but is this how you speak to people you've pulled over? Your not helping the reputation of police.