"A Time To Fire The Taser?"

[Formaldehyde]

The second front page story of the Tampa Bay Times had the subject bar of this thread as the headline this morning, but it now has a different one online. The article was prompted by an incident which has resulted in Danielle Maudley being in a vegetative state since September from striking her head on the road after being tasered. She was fleeing police captivity under highly dubious circumstances, and the highway patrolman was right behind her at the time he used the taser.

This video was captured by a cruiser double-parked right outside the substation.


Link to video.

Experts say trooper's use of Taser on woman raises questions

When the Taser's prongs hit her back, Danielle Maudsley spun backward and smacked her head on the pavement.

A nearby dashcam recorded the fall, even capturing the sound of her head cracking on the asphalt.

Maudsley, 20, clutched her head and struggled to rise. "I can't get up," she moaned, her final words.

Then she went still.

She has been in a vegetative state ever since. Doctors have told her family she likely will never wake up.

This week, two state agencies cleared Florida Highway Patrol Trooper Daniel Cole of any wrongdoing in the September incident, which occurred as Maudsley tried to escape from an FHP station in Pinellas Park.

But several experts and researchers who reviewed reports and video of the incident said the case raises questions.

They are troubled that Cole tasered Maudsley, a suspect in two hit-and-run crashes who had drugs in her system, while she was handcuffed. They also noted that Cole was just steps behind Maudsley when he fired the Taser.

"It just doesn't make any sense," said Greg Connor, a professor at the University of Illinois Police Training Institute who specializes in use of force. "I don't see where it's going to be that hard to apprehend her."

Cole, who at 267 pounds weighed about three times as much as Maudsley, told investigators he used his Taser because he was concerned one or both of them would be injured if he tackled her. He worried she was headed toward heavy traffic on U.S. 19.

The scrutiny of the Maudsley case comes amid calls from some national groups for police agencies to take a closer look at how and when they use Tasers.

The human rights organization Amnesty International called this week for stricter limits on Taser use after an intoxicated Georgia man died hours after police shot him with one. The group believes there should be a national policy on Taser use.

Florida has had 65 Taser-related deaths since 2001, the second highest total behind California, which had 92.

Amnesty also noted policies regarding the devices vary widely. Some agencies caution heavily about their use, while others consider them a compliance device on the same level as pepper spray.

"Some departments use it the first thing, some departments use it only for the highest level of resistance," said Gene Paoline, associate professor of criminology at the University of Central Florida, who has studied injuries from Tasers. "Unfortunately there's not a standard use of force policy for anything less than deadly force. There's not a national standard for when you should use a Taser and when you should not use it."

FHP policy allows troopers to use Tasers when it "reasonably appears necessary to control non-compliant individuals who have escalated their level of resistance from passive physical resistance to active physical resistance (i.e.: bracing, tensing, pushing, or pulling)."

The policy goes on to say it must be apparent the detained person has the ability to physically threaten others or is trying to flee or escape. It also notes that Tasers shouldn't be used on someone who is handcuffed, but says there still could be times when even that is justifiable.

"The Florida Department of Law Enforcement conducted an independent review," Sgt. Steve Gaskins, a spokesman, said Friday. "FDLE's investigation found the trooper's actions were legal and within the scope of his duties."

There are additional details in the article, including more expert comments regarding both sides of this matter.

The paper yesterday had an article detailing why the highway patrolman was cleared of all charges in this incident as well as some additional information not in the first story:

FHP trooper cleared in use of Taser, which put woman in vegetative state

Do you think it is time to "fire the taser", or at least adopt far more stringent guidelines about when it can be used by law enforcement? I don't know of any other country besides the US which allows it to be used under so many circumstances, at least by a number of police departments.

Do you think the highway patrolman should have at least been reprimanded for not properly restraining her?

 

[kramerfan86]

Seriously, dont run from police, its pretty simple. I have a lot of trouble saying people were abused when fleeing. Back in the day fleeing meant the cop tackled you which could just as easily if not more easily cause injury. I do agree he deserves penalty for botching the arrest to where he was in a situation the taser was used though, just dont blame him for the taser usage itself.

 

[Godwynn]

The cop should get ticketed for double parking.

 

[Skwink]

Hard to feel sorry for her when she's running from the police. When you are trying to get away from the cops, you gotta expect them to try to stop you.

 

[Godwynn]

Guys, I don't think you're taking this double parking thing seriously. It's a major problem.

If the cop refuses to accept the ticket, should we tase him?

 

[Skwink]

Guys, I don't think you're taking this double parking thing seriously. It's a major problem.

If the cop refuses the accept the ticket, should we tase him?

Only if he runs.

 

[Takhisis]

Apparently the thought is 'since tackling someone is dangerous, let's electrocute them instead'.

 

[cardgame]

Well... a 267 pound man tackling a woman and falling to the asphalt doesn't seem safe either.

 

[Formaldehyde]

It would be if he simply waited until they got off the road. And even so, I seriously doubt she would strike the back of her head on it. Or he could have just grabbed her.

I particularly like the part that he was fearful of injury to himself. Tasers have turned many cops into such wimps and brought out the sadistic and vindictive aspects of some of them.

 

[rugbyLEAGUEfan]

Forma's back and shakin' it up .

Those statistics on deaths from tasers are truly mind boggling

 

[Takhisis]

Tasers are still deemed to be non-lethal weapons, right?

 

[emzie]

Oh god, we don't want the police officer to have to run do we?

I recently had the point made to me that part of a cop's job is to anticipate a situation and keep containment. While the rule book might say it's acceptable to taser a fleeing target, if you have a fleeing target you screwed up somewhere else along the line. Though I'd question if tasering was justifiable under any interpretation of the rules here... she didn't have 2 steps on the cop who just looked like tasering her would be easier than running.

Tasers are still deemed to be non-lethal weapons, right?

Less-than-lethal, which they are. I'd rather get hit with a taser than a 9mm. That doesn't put them in the same category as a baton though, and cops should remember that.

 

[woody60707]

Tasers are still deemed to be non-lethal weapons, right?

Well I think they are less lethal then aspirin. But any 12 yr can buy aspirin. What the age for a taser?

And why does google spell check keep telling me taser is spelled wrong?

 

[Formaldehyde]

Tasers are still deemed to be non-lethal weapons, right?

They are when the cops demonstrate them to other cops ... by having two guys hold the person and lower him gently to a mat.


Link to video.

 

[Dreadnought]

If you don't want to be tasered, don't flee the police.

 

[woody60707]

If you don't want to be tasered, don't flee the police.

It used to be "If you don't want to get beat by a group of cops" In these days of a tight budget, it is a cost saver.

 

[Takhisis]

I'd amend it to 'if you don't want to be atsered, don't allow your local council to give tasers to the police' but getting non-Tea Party Americans to vote is a utopia by now.

 

[aelf]

Is this an issue where people are fine with an unempirical approach when assessing it? Theoretically, the use of tasers should reduce injuries arising from manhandling suspects, but what does the actual data say?

 

[Ayn Rand]

Is this an issue where people are fine with an unempirical approach when assessing it? Theoretically, the use of tasers should reduce injuries arising from manhandling suspects, but what does the actual data say?

Exactly this - there will always be incidents such as this one with any piece of equipment or method used. The civfanatics senate requires overall data before passing judgement on this issue.

 

[BasketCase]

In addition, AR: seeing as how cops have been called to task for tasering, and for using physical force, I would say some people just plain hate cops. Not for what they do, but for what they are. No point trying to make them happy.