Topic: The UoF Student Tasing Incident

[PFG9000]

These cops are trained how to take down an individual and the use of the taser was ridiculous. Them telling that one kid to get up or they'll tase him again? I doubt the cops themselves could get up after being tased like that!

I've been tased several times.

[John Capricorn]

In Reply To #61

It basically causes your heart to beat irregularly for many seconds and you lose control of your body.  I realize its benefits as a non lethal weapon however I think police should be more strict about it. Case in point:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=qHKk5qQRzL4

[PFG9000]

In Reply To #62

The taser does not affect the heart rate in a normal person.  You can cite all the overhyped, misunderstood incidents you like.  I'm speaking from experience.  You are not.

[Gunlord]

In Reply To #63

Define "normal," though. It's not just elderly people with failing hearts--someone with a heart condition (congenital or otherwise), someone who suffers from panic attacks, etc. might be affected very severely--and perhaps fatally--from a tasering. I'm no doctor, but I get the feeling that tazers can be dangerous in more situations than just isolated incidents :-/

[PFG9000]

In Reply To #64

Normal, as in somebody who doesn't have a rare heart condition.  And I'm only leaving that exception out there because I haven't seen a study specifically on tasers and heart conditions.  The research out there (actual research, that is...not some crock compilation of figures that Amnesty International throws together) indicates that tasers are a safe and reliable tool.  But the smarter-than-you, liberated college crowd would have you think otherwise, because it's yet another tool the big bad government can use against poor, unassuming, repressed individuals who have accidentally resisted the powerhungry cops.

Yes, I'm ranting.  I'm afraid I've been dealing with too many cop-haters lately and I'm pretty fed up with their mentality.  (btw Gunny, I'm absolutely not trying to direct this at you.)

Anyway.  People love to cite one-in-a-million cases like this new guy just did here.  They ignore the fact that there are thousands of taser deployments for every one unjust or problematic one.  Think about it;  how many times a day do you think a taser is used in the US?  How many questionable ones do we hear about?  I rest my case.

[Clara E. Leet]

Just in my high school alone last year there were about 8 students tased... not a single one of them was hurt.

I'm not against tasing altogether, but I do think there should be a lot more education given, to both cops and the public. I heard one story of a cop tasing a man who refused to sign something because the cop refused to tell the man how fast hew as going when he pulled him over for speeding. Meanwhile, his pregnant wife is in the passenger seat begging the cop to let him go. That cop just needs some anger management classes and a lesson on when to use his equipment.

I'm not a cop hater by any means. My family's worked with the cops to get rid of some major scumbags in my neighborhood, and I respect the work they do for the sake of our safety. And while there may be some "bad cops" out there, you gotta remember that there's corruption in every system out there.

[CVfan13]

In Reply To #66

Right. But anyway, that video was insane! I feel really bad for that kid, those cops were out of control. Sometimes people like cops abuse their power, and when that happens, they should be badly punished!

[Thaddeus]

In my opinion the attention-whore got what he deserved. Had he a real point or protest, for example the war in Iraq, or Bush foreign policy, then, yes -- I would feel sympathy for him. I might even say what happened was excessive force. Now, I don't know whether or not tazing him for heckling was excessive, since I don't know much about tazers or police proceedure. Excessive or not, he definitely deserved it IMO.

This was a publicity "stunt" for his stupid gag-website. He had no legitimate questions or concerns -- he only attended that Q&A to heckle Sen. Kerry (for the purpose of drawing attention to his immature self) and act retarded (not relinquishing the mic, being out of control, and resisting arrest).

Why sympathize with him? He isn't even a victim. He is an instigator, a troll, and he got what he wanted (his ugly mug on every news program across the nation).

[John Capricorn]

Gettin tased affects your heart rate PFG.  Gettin quite tired of yor smart aleck remarks.  All I am asking for is restraint and more education when using the device. 

To Thaddeus, yeah the guy might be an idiot but the cop need just take him outside, maybe beat him over the head a few times with his billy club, but just don't tase the mfer.

[Azmodan]

To Thaddeus, yeah the guy might be an idiot but the cop need just take him outside, maybe beat him over the head a few times with his billy club, but just don't tase the mfer.

Physical assault with a club is far worse than tasing. So why would you beat him but not tase him?

Gettin tased affects your heart rate PFG.

[Jorge D. Fuentes]

In Reply To #69

Yeah you might want to tone down on the confronting there, Mr.Capricorn.

I find no fault in behavior in the text PFG has posted.  He has presented himself well in his words.

[PFG9000]

Gettin tased affects your heart rate PFG.

[Alexc2808]

In Reply To #72
Electricity going through the body affects the muscles.  The heart is a muscle.  Tasers DO affect the heart.  The fact that you, a cop, don't know this is very very disturbing.

[Jorge D. Fuentes]

In Reply To #73

It's not strong enough to do anything major to the heart.  The worst it would do on a healthy normal heart is make it skip a beat.

And, as was mentioned before, there is no way of knowing whether the individual being tased is under the influence of outside factors which may change the 'normal' condition, even if some can be assumed via observation.  Such factors include drugs, alcohol, pre-existing heart disease, high-stress, psychotic episode, epilepsy, etc.).

This is no DEATH RAY Electric-chair voltage.  I think Stryker's UMK3 Fatality is way overexaggerated.  You can be tased and live normally.

So yes, it does affect the heart, but it's not going to stop the heart unless it's either A. overused (held charge), or B. somehow super-pumped up charged (more voltage/amperage)... that is, on a normal person.  I don't know which of these are possible scenarios though, since I've never even seen a Taser, only read about 'em.

EDIT
I did a little research on this incident.  It turns out, the Taser's usage in this incident was not a long-range conventional Taser usage, but rather a close-range usage of the Taser in the "Drive Stun" setting.

The Drive Stun setting does not affect the central nervous system.  Its usage is not to incapacitate the target (stun) either.

The Drive Stun setting inflicts significant localized pain around the area in which it is touching the target.  Think of this as an alternative to the Baton, only without it leaving the nasty bruises.

Its purpose is pain-compliance, and is often used to bring a troublesome person into custody.

If it was used on an area such as the person's arm or buttocks (hee), it just smarts like the Dickens, basically to send a message.

So there ya go, no heart argument anymore.

[PFG9000]

In Reply To #73

Okay, I'll bite.