Thursday, October 23, 2008

Tasings Lead to Collateral Damage, Like Careers


It's been a while since we've covered the controversies surrounding Tasers and their use. However, these two stories seemed fitting. 

In the first case, brought to you from Eustis, Florida, a police officer was hosting a birthday party with alcohol for himself and 50 other partiers, 20 of whom were underage. Apparently, 15 year old Tyler Davis said he wanted to know what being tased felt like, and the former officer Dan Nesmith complied, and even issued a brief safety warning. Thankfully, the Taser used was equipped with a computer chip that allowed authorities to know when it was discharged. For the incident, Mr. Nesmith has been fired from his position. 

In another case from Georgia, Deputy Sheriff Tonya Gross allegedly discharged her Taser inside the Fulton County Courthouse. Apparently the former deputy was surrounded by two women who were aggressive when going through the security checkpoint that is now ubiquitous in our post-9/11 world. Ms. Gross feared for her safety and aimed her taser, allegedly at the head of one of the suspects, but failed to hit either. The Fulton County Sheriff, disregarding the opinion of a retired sheriff's supervisor, fired the deputy for violating policy. 

It's good to know that when a Taser is deployed for fun or irrational fear, that some people in positions of authority won't tolerate such behavior. 

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