72 year old woman tasered in Austin. Justified?? (Hamilton, Quintana: crime, codes)

[artsyguy]

Just apologize to the cop and look sad and most times you will get a warning. They want to make sure you take their authority seriously which you should because they can just zap you with a taser or shoot you dead.

Originally Posted by love roses

Maybe so, but that's part of the reasons the cops hands are tied in many cases. I think that having every single thing scrutinized, and ALWAYS in a negative fashion, because face it, every time there is a shooting or a tazing, it's ALWAYS bad cop; not ignorant criminal doing something dumb like running away or pulling a gun.

Originally Posted by CptnRn

This was not an Austin cop, it was a Travis County Constable Deputy.

Originally Posted by fitzy24

Cops hate it when you get sassy with them. They get mad. It's the truth.

[ATX Homeboy]

I gotta agree with Doctorjef.

Tasering grandma was low. Yes, she was speeding 15 mph over the posted 45 in a work zone. She broke a civil law not a criminal law. I mean she didn't murder, rape, or assault anyone. Was she really a threat that needed to be neutralized in such a way?

Really, one has to look at tasering versus laying his hands upon that old woman. Which is worse in the eyes of the public and what perceptions do we as a society have of tasering as opposed to a 6' male police officer putting his hands on a 4'11'' 72 year old woman? Couldn't he have called for a female officer to come take care of that?

[mmac12]

Originally Posted by TexasHorseLady

I'm not losing sight of that fact. However, the fact that she's someone's mother and grandmother does not exempt her from being responsible for the consequences of her actions, nor does it give her a pass to behave badly (or to drive 60 in a 45 construction zone, endangering her fellow motorists and construction workers, or to resist arrest or use profanity to a cop).

In fact, to assume that that is an excuse for her actions is an insult to mothers and grandmothers everywhere who accept that with being that comes responsibility.

You say she had responsibility!!! What about him... He not a volunteer serving the public , he is supposed to be a RESONSIBLE, trainedand professionally paid Peace Officer who is expected to make the right judgement call on any situation and at accordingly. He is at the very least untrained... and I am being gracious

[doctorjef]

A lot of the constable deputies are reserves who only have to work 16 hours a month. There are a lot of police officer wannabes who don't have the training and can only get on with small depts and agencies like the constable precincts.

[mmac12]

Originally Posted by doctorjef

A lot of the constable deputies are reserves who only have to work 16 hours a month. There are a lot of police officer wannabes who don't have the training and can only get on with small depts and agencies like the constable precincts.

Then they should be with a seasoned trained professional before unleashing them on the public alone

[tind]

*scratches "somewhere in or around Austin" off list of possible "Best/Affordable Places" to relocate to*

[paul6835]

Originally Posted by mmac12

You say she had responsibility!!! What about him... He not a volunteer serving the public , he is supposed to be a RESONSIBLE, trainedand professionally paid Peace Officer who is expected to make the right judgement call on any situation and at accordingly. He is at the very least untrained... and I am being gracious

The police officer certainly should have resolved it better, but after you go through a few hundred arrests, you're bound to screw one up. The woman looks belligerent and is clearly not following the police officers commands along a busy and dangerous highway, I'm not so sure I'd be so hard on the cop here. Grandma or not, anyone can pull a gun or a knife and cause harm, and her behavior didn't align with a rational person.

The cops aren't super human, they're going to make mistakes dealing with people. My advice would be to follow their instructions and not force someone to make those mistakes. If you do, you share a big part of the responsibility for the outcome.

[b. frank]

Originally Posted by mimimomx3

Sue him, just like this lady did.

Aww - anybody would do that. It sounded like you were going for something more sensational like, "I would hunt him down, tie him up and tase his family!"

[mimimomx3]

Originally Posted by fitzy24

Cops hate it when you get sassy with them. They get mad. It's the truth.

Isn't it interesting how when you 'get sassy' with an officer, they taze or kill you. If you get 'sassy' with me, all I can do is....walk away? Odd, isn't it?

[mimimomx3]

Originally Posted by b. frank

Aww - anybody would do that. It sounded like you were going for something more sensational like, "I would hunt him down, tie him up and tase his family!"

Why would you say that? Unlike the officer, I believe in due process.