by Eagles BEA

Created on: November 29, 2007   Last Updated: December 15, 2008

Absolutely not. Uninformed citizens may think so, and we may even be able to debate the ethics of such an action, but a violation of the law? No. Here's why.

I am a state licensed Bail Bond Recovery agent. BEAs as well as all police agencies follow an "Escalation of Force Continuum". The guidelines follow a flow of action and reaction so that officers may know what to do in most circumstances. In my state it reads like this:

ESCALATION OF FORCE CONTINUUM

Suspect action: Resistive Presence Verbal Resistance Refusing to Comply

Response: Communicating - Gathering Information Verbal Requests Giving Choices/ Setting Limits Giving Directions/ Verbal Warnings

Suspect action: Refuses to Leave Passive Resistance Actively aggressive Attempts to Escape

Response: Restraining Techniques Hair Holds Pepper Spray

Suspect action: Open Hand Attack Closed Hand Attack Punches and Kicks

Response: Restraining Techniques Pepper Sprays TASER Punches and Kicks / Impact Weapons

Suspect action: Non Lethal Weapons Used in a Lethal Manner Any Object Used in a Lethal Manner Attempts to Disarm You Lethal Weapons Firearms

Response: Lethal Weapons Firearms

By reading through the guidelines, you can quickly see where a TASER would be appropriate in many circumstances where a suspect would not be armed. And even more so. What about a 125 lb female officer trying to apprehend a 250 lb suspect with no backup? She had better use a TASER if he is non-compliant.

The public needs to make themselves more familiar with the use of force continuum. The rules are fair, and will keep our officers safe. One note: there has not been one single documented case where a TASER caused death to a person who was not on some kind of body altering substance, or did not have a pre-existing medical condition. Let's stop making the police responsible when people on drugs, or people with medical conditions, go out and commit crimes and reap the consequences of their criminal behavior.
Viral web videos like "Don't taze me man" have not helped the situation. When a person is in the act of lawbreaking and they are ordered by a law enforcement officer to comply, the law does not state that the person should comply only when they agree with the officer. But we have become such a society of victimization (it's always someone else's fault) that people hear about police using a TASER and immediately suspect police brutality.
It's time to grow up as a country. We have gone from a strong, responsible, vibrant nation to a nation of whiners, victims and toddlers who need a nap and to have our poopy pants changed, all the while expecting the big government nanny to do everything for us but to do nothing with us that is going to better us as people or help us understand rules and discipline. No one accidently steals, no one accidently rapes, no one accidently murders. But the government representatives who want to hand out dollars that do not belong to them in exchange for votes, would like you to think so.

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