Police use stun gun on 75-year-old woman. (UPDATE)

Read my latest posting for an update:

I am not sure what is happening with the police in the states, possibly its due to the constant stress of a potential terrorist attack, but from my viewpoint they are going completely out of control.

Example 1: I was walking down the street with a friend and a car missed us by a couple of inches - my friend threw an empty plastic water bottle at the car. The driver stopped the car and came at us with a crowbar - I called 911 and went to write down his number plate - he advanced on me and threatened to beat me with the crowbar if i took down his number plate. I got quite hysterical the police arrived on the scene. The driver denied attacking me I started to shout exactly what he said to me including telling my friend to "get his b*tch under control". What happens ??? The police man screams me down and forces me to sit down and every time I open my mouth he advances on me with handcuffs. In the end the driver gets off scotfree and I feel doubly assaulted. I lay a complaint against the police officer and the investigating officer "suggests" my friend could be arrested for throwing the empty plastic bottle at the car so we withdraw the complaint. For a few days afterwards I was actually scared to cross a road - I know I will never call 911 again.

2) "The Rock Hill Police Department is investigating why an officer used an electric stun gun on a 75-year-old woman who refused to leave a nursing home where she had gone to visit an ailing friend.

The woman, Margaret Kimbrell, said she suffered bruises on her leg and face after she was knocked to the floor by the force of the weapon, called a Taser.

Police Chief John Gregory said Tuesday the department is reviewing whether Officer Hattie Macon's use of the Taser was appropriate -- a step that is taken in unusual or high-profile cases."

"She said she did not swing her arm or threaten Macon.

"As weak as I am, how could I do that?" said Kimbrell, who has arthritis and suffered six broken ribs in a recent fall in her back yard. "Maybe I was trespassing, but I didn't know it. I thought they would understand."

She said she got upset because no one would tell her where her friend was -- or even if he was alive.

"I thought he had died," she said. "I was trying to keep from crying."

Kimbrell said Macon pressed the Taser to her back and used it during the exchange, causing Kimbrell to hit the floor.

"It was the worst pain," said Kimbrell. "It felt like something going through my body. I thought I was dying. I said, 'Lord, let it be over.'"

Kimbrell said she asked the officer and others at the scene to dial 911 because she was hurt. According to the police report, no one was injured in the incident."

www.heraldonline.com...

[edit on 20-10-2004 by Mynaeris]

[edit on 21-10-2004 by Mynaeris]

Its simple..........most Police Officers have lost the ability to use their communication skills to resolve a problem. Its all to easy these days to roll up at an incident and use a pepper spray or baton, when say 10 years ago he/she would have used verbal reasoning.

I read recently a civil suit was filed against a local police station for hiring discrimination, that is no big deal in itself, but here's the kicker. The reason that the police station stated that they would not hire the man was because he had scored too high on his IQ tests. Apparently this is a common thing, police and other law enforcements agencies claim that as a rule "more intelligent people are more likely to get bored with police work and this creates a high turnover rate." Also relevant to this I would like to say that in general any organization, law enforcement, military, etc. is a product of their training. If an officer is taught to handle a civilian a certain way, that is they way they will tend to handle them. Civil rights are great, right up until they are stripped away from you and almost somehow ironicaly the ability to strip these rights is given to the enforcement branches of the system those rights are designed to protect you from.

That said old ladies can be a bit of a handfull, especially when they have been drinking sherry. For all we know this 'Old Biddy' could have gone for the Officer with her zimmer frame or walking stick!

Police officers are pretty stressed out now a days. Yes that was excessive force but why didn't the lady just leave like asked?

We do not need cops incapable of restraining an unarmed 75 year old Female, without a weapon. The cop should be fired. He is useless.

Just another example of Government using excessive force on the public.
Seems to be a monthly event....

I believe this action using a taser to knock out the senior citizen was uncalled for. Did the officer inform the lady that potentially deadly force would be used against her if she resisted? I doubt it. Taser use has resulted in death so I don't believe tasers should be used lightly.

link www.thecarolinachannel.com...

Using a taser on an elderly lady could have easily resulted in her death or serious injury in my opinion. I believe taser use should be more limited. Someone should have sent a counselor out to the nursing home with the police officer or someone trained to deal with senior citizens instead of sending a newbie police officer. If you had an elder parent and the police used a taser on her and she or he fell flat on their face on concrete, that could result in skull/bone fractures, a crippling injury and/or death. Apparently that particular police force is lacking in training in skills in handling senior citizens. Officers are supposed to protect and serve not just enforce the law. Maybe the protect and serve portion of training no longer exists in the nations police force. It's a very bad sign of things to come.

Maybe he should have asked her why she was there and then tried to use his influence to find her friend, what crime could she have done with him there? I say he should get a public stoning IF he put her in a hospital and 25yrs if he killed her, but they are not held to "our" standards.

I thought tasers were introduced to replace guns? I cant imagine an officer shooting the old lady in the knee caps?

If i am reading this correctly the officer in question is a female. There is no excuse for treating a senior citizen that way. I have worked with the elderly for several years as a nurse's aide and I have gotten my share of bruises from some of them, some who are confused sometimes strike out in anger, would I ever think of hurting them for their confusion and striking out, absolutely not. To use a taser gun on anyone is barbaric but to use one on an old woman is even more so. This cop should be locked up for her actions.

[edit on 21-10-2004 by goose]

Here are some rather disturbing new facts about the weapon used on the 75 yr old woman.

"The X26 Taser used in Friday's incident looks like a small handgun. When fired, it releases two darts carrying 50,000 volts of electricity. The darts can reach a target as far as 21 feet away and can penetrate clothing 2 1/2 inches thick.

Tasers override the central nervous system and cause involuntary muscle contractions that leave the person they're used on temporarily paralyzed. The five-second burst of nonlethal electricity acts as an alternative to lethal force during confrontations.

A York County Sheriff's deputy said Tasers are painful -- but that's what makes them effective.

"It hurts," said Lt. Pat Kiefer, who had one used on him during a recent training course. "It's a lot of voltage going through you. It paralyzes you and takes you straight to the ground.""

"The company that made the electric stun gun used last week on a 75-year-old Rock Hill woman said Wednesday the device is not dangerous, even to the elderly.

"Medical testing and field results have shown that ... electrical discharge is not harmful to either pregnant females, their fetus, or to elderly people," Taser International said in a written statement. The devices "save lives every day, and numerous medical and scientific studies have concluded that Taser devices are among the safest use-of-force options available."

www.heraldonline.com...

Now a days, many so called "Law Inforcement Officers" are being a bunch of a-holes. For some unknown reason they think they are above all else and just dont care about what their actions are. I myself have been accused of many crimes I have not commited and then when i complain about it, im charged with much more than what I started...maybe their in hopes that we retaliate or something. Maybe this could be the start of a some sort of anarchy.

Most L.E.O.s are rather cowardly, from what I've seen.

Also, their training in most areas of the country is too short for the job they are asked to perform.

For example:
550hrs to be a cop in Texas.

1500hrs to be a hair stylist in Texas.

But these "Type A" personality /quasi-neandrithalic individuals are given guns? Given charge over our lives?

Some are good, don't mis-read me. But most are not.

X

I would say if someone threw a bottle at my car i'd give them a kicking. Your friend shouldn't have reacted in the way he did. He can mouth off but there's no need to throw the bottle at the car.

The drivers reaction was a also not reasonable but what do you expect when you throw something off his car??? He could have thought it was a glass bottle in the heat of the moment.

My rule of thumb is, 9 times out of 10 your in a fight for a reason, if your that 1 left, then your very unlucky. In this case however, your mate threw something at the guys car, instead of just waving his arms and going "Hey, Common!" or something along those lines.

Your mates own fault for being silly.

As for the old lady, that's a shame. The officer must have no brains what so ever. If they really wanted her out they could pick her up and carry her, not zap her with a gun. Just stupid.

snoop: I agree with you in part but the part you seem to be missing is that the guy threatened to attack me with a crowbar not because I threw something at him - I was simply trying to end the fight by calling 911 and taking his plate number. I don't know where you live but I have never seen a guy threaten to beat a woman with a metal crowbar and get away with it.

I live in Scotland, and the fight started because the bottle was thrown at his car. Avoid a fight if you can, because when it kicks off anything can happen.

His reaction was very wrong, but he probably wouldn't have done it if the bottle wasn't thrown.

I'm not saying he's right and your wrong, because it's a silly thing to fight over. But, dont give people excuses to act badly.

Guess you learned not to throw your bottle at someones car.

I am not saying he was right, but he may not have seen/realized how close he was to you.

Some men, like me, take great pride in our cars and their condition shows it. If someone threw a bottle at my car, you better believe I would stop and read them the riot act.

I am not justifing attacking someone with a crow bar-but it teaches you a lesson
if you think u are tough and want to "step up to the plate", you may run into someone while want to also.

Snnopeydoopey and MrMonsoon: Please read carefully I NEVER threw ANYTHING at anybody , I was attacked for calling 911 and taking down his number plate. Get it right. Secondly, attacking an unarmed person with a metal crowbar is a crime whatever the provocation unless you feel your life is in danger. My friend actually apologised to him. However he kept threatening with the crowbar. And when I tried writing down his number plate he (1) threatened me with the same metal crowbar and (2) cussed at me.

Here's a coincidence for you. The cable channel Court TV is about to air an episode of Cops in a few minutes:

Cops - Stun Gun Special Edition (Reality) An officer uses a stun gun when a drunken driver picks a fight; an officer disarms a suspect.

Fine, your friend through the bottle.

I guess you learned a lesson about being with someone who throws a bottle at someone�s car, I hope.

The point is your friend invited the attack by throwing something at his car-I will guess that some words went with it.

Let's be clear-you were not! Attacked-actually you and your friend were threatened-unless he touched you or your friend-which you don't state happened.

By trying to write down his license plate number and treating to call the police you antagonized him even more.

Honestly-you and your friend are very lucky you both didn't get your heads cracked open.


* edited for spelling

[edit on 10/21/2004 by mrmonsoon]