Another example of police brutality.

Courthouse News Service
Friday, June 25, 2010

(CN) - Police Tasered an 86-year-old disabled grandma in her bed and stepped on her oxygen hose until she couldn't breathe, after her grandson called 911 seeking medical assistance, the woman and her grandson claim in Oklahoma City Federal Court. Though the grandson said, "Don't Taze my granny!" an El Reno police officer told another cop to "Taser her!" and wrote in his police report that he did so because the old woman "took a more aggressive posture in her bed," according to the complaint.
Lonnie Tinsley claims that he called 911 after he went to check on his grandmother, whom he found in her bed, "connected to a portable oxygen concentrator with a long hose." She is "in marginal health, [and] takes several prescribed medications daily," and "was unable to tell him exactly when she had taken her meds," so, Tinsley says, he called 911 "to ask for an emergency medical technician to come to her apartment to evaluate her."
In response, "as many as ten El Reno police" officers "pushed their way through the door," according to the complaint.
The grandma, Lona Varner, "told them to get out of her apartment."
The remarkable complaint continues: "Instead, the apparent leader of the police [defendant Thomas Duran] instructed another policeman to 'Taser her!' He stated in his report that the 86 year-old plaintiff 'took a more aggressive posture in her bed,' and that he was fearful for his safety and the safety of others.
"Lonnie Tinsley told them, 'Don't taze my Granny!' to which they responded that they would Taser him; instead, they pulled him out of her apartment, took him down to the floor, handcuffed him and placed him in the back of a police car.
"The police then proceeded to approach Ms. Varner in her bed and stepped on her oxygen hose until she began to suffer oxygen deprivation.
"The police then fired a Taser at her and only one wire struck her, in the left arm; the police then fired a second Taser, striking her to the right and left of the midline of her upper chest and applied high voltage, causing burns to her chest, extreme pain and to pass out.
"The police then grabbed Ms. Varner by her forearms and jerked hands together, causing her soft flesh to tear and bleed on her bed; they then handcuffed her.
"The police freed Lonnie Tinsley from his incarceration in the back of the police car and permitted him to accompany the ambulance with his grandmother."
Tinsley says the cops capped it all off by having his grandmother "placed in the psychiatric ward at the direction of the El Reno police; she was held there for six days and released."
"As a result of the wrongful arrest and detention, the plaintiff Lona M. Varner suffered the unlawful restraint of her freedom, bodily injury, assault, battery, the trashing of her apartment, humiliation, loss of personal dignity, infliction of emotional distress and medical bills."
They seek punitive damages for constitutional violations, from the City of El Reno, Duran, Officers Frank Tinga and Joseph Sandberg, and 10 Officers Does.
They are represented by Brian Dell of Oklahoma City.


http://www.courthousenews.com/2010/06/24/28330.htm

Were they black?

Pissedoffvulcan wrote:

Were they black?

Who? The cops or the granny and grandson? Does it matter either way?

Either way the cops were wrong. But if the granny and grandson were black then it is clear racism. Or visa verse. Either way these people should end up with a big sum of money. Who in they're right mind tazers any old person period.

Well I don't know, according to the cop in charge "She took a more aggressive posture on the bed and I feared for my safety and the safety of others."

Lol, nothing scarier than a 86 year old bedridden woman.

Maybe he thought she had a gun under the bed. I could see the headlines cops killed by 86 year old bed ridden woman with gun.

Yet another Police Brutality story, some kid fell off, or maybe jumped from a highway overpass and was lying below with a broken back. Apparently he'd argued with his folks and took off on foot. Parents were worried about him and made the mistake of calling the cops to find him. They found him alright, lying there with a broken back... so they tasered him 19 times. Their excuse? He refused to comply with their demands... what when they told him to stand up or roll over? Good grief.

Think I might pin this thread

K, this happened like two years ago and the police have been cleared.

Walterth3rd wrote:

K, this happened like two years ago and the police have been cleared.

I never said it just happened, just that it was an example of police brutality. Whether they were cleared or not is kind of besides the point, there is no justification to tase an unarmed sixteen year old with a broken back 19 times. They were cleared on nothing but their own word. The kid doesn't remember what happened, there were no witnesses nor video so the comments on what happened are all one sided form the cops. They claim they believe he was on LSD, despite no drugs being found in his system, and that he wouldn't stay down when they ordered him too. Ok, kid had a broken back and broken off heel on one foot. Even if he was on LSD despite no medical evidence and couldn't feel pain, he wouldn't be physically capable of standing with those injures. Even if he was trying to stand, that is no reason to tase him. At that point and time he was not wanted, and hadn't committed a crime as far as the cops knew. Except possibly trying to commit suicide.

So, the cops decide they have to tase him. Ok, one tase will bring a 300 pound muscle builder to his knees, but it takes 19 tases to subdue a 16 year old kid with a broken back? Yeah right.

The police should have been able after the first taze to realize there was something wrong. Also they should have been trained or they ignored the training and just tazed. Luckily the kid didn't die. If I was on the jury those cops would have fried.

Y'all are correct, I was mistaken. It should NEVER have happened. So, next question, how is he today?

That I don't know, couldn't find anything about whether he recovered.

Here's another story about a 64 year old guy who got tased. This reminds me of the old lady one up top, in both cases the cops responded to a medical call and ended up tasering and arresting the victim. In this case, the guy had already been treated by paramedics who'd left. Then cops showed up barged in without knocking, without cause and ended up tasering the guy. Guy was drunk and argumentative, but then again the cops barged into his home.

http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/local/north_bay&id=7645194

News report there. Four videos, fourth video is the initial report from ABC. The other ones are interesting as well.

Cops being dicks like usual.

Cute girl doing the news. Kind of reminds me of Chloe from SGU.

The acceptance of the use of Tasers has given the police a legal method for causing pain and distress on the public at the police officers discretion.

I don't think taser use shoud be ended, but I do think that it has become a serious problem in that many(most?) police departments have no effective and fair system for preventing abuse.

I wonder how often police officers have this converstion:

"Why did you taser him?"

"Because he was being a dick"

"See ya for drinks after work?"

"Ok"

Brandie Redell was in the process of shoplifting nearly $388 in women’s clothing from the Von Maur department store in Davenport, Iowa, back in February when she was caught red-handed. When it came time for questioning, though, it seems Redell was in for more than just a verbal lambasting from police.

Surveillance video captured while she was being questioned shows an officer punching the mother, right in front of her one-year-old baby, to the point of a swollen eye. Now, Redell is claiming that she’s lost 60 percent of her vision as a result of the incident — and she’s looking for retribution.

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/08/08/surveillance-video-shows-police-officer-repeatedly-punching-shoplifting-mom/

It's no secret that I'm a firm supporter of the LE Community. I'm also a firm supporter of our system/form of government. Yet I realize neither is perfect. Nothing involving a human being ever will be.

Be that as it may, both are the best there is. I do not condone those who violate our laws, policies or procedures. Most especially those we empower to uphold and enforce same. But the reality is, it still happens.

A shame nobody cares about the good they have done over the centuries, or the sacrifices.

Bandit wrote:

It's no secret that I'm a firm supporter of the LE Community. I'm also a firm supporter of our system/form of government. Yet I realize neither is perfect. Nothing involving a human being ever will be.

Be that as it may, both are the best there is. I do not condone those who violate our laws, policies or procedures. Most especially those we empower to uphold and enforce same. But the reality is, it still happens.

A shame nobody cares about the good they have done over the centuries, or the sacrifices.

Police are out of control in this country. They need to be reigned in the system is broken and needs to be fixed.

PappyLee wrote:

Police are out of control in this country. They need to be reigned in the system is broken and needs to be fixed.

Wow, I feel like this is one of those 300 monkeys will eventual type Shakespeare moments. For the first time ever I actual agree with PappyLee. While there are still many good cops out there, to many of them are as bad as the criminals nowadays. This is mostly because sometime during the last 30-40 years police went from being PEACE OFFICERS to being jack booted military. Even ones that would make good Peace Officers end up being bad cops because of what, and the way, they are trained.

eber322 wrote:

PappyLee wrote:

Police are out of control in this country. They need to be reigned in the system is broken and needs to be fixed.

Wow, I feel like this is one of those 300 monkeys will eventual type Shakespeare moments. For the first time ever I actual agree with PappyLee. While there are still many good cops out there, to many of them are as bad as the criminals nowadays. This is mostly because sometime during the last 30-40 years police went from being PEACE OFFICERS to being jack booted military. Even ones that would make good Peace Officers end up being bad cops because of what, and the way, they are trained.

OH that is a scary thought.

No, the Police are not out of control. The people are.

It's a proven fact, that those complaining about LE, have absolutely nothing to do with their local government, or run into "enforcement".

"This is mostly because sometime during the last 30-40 years police went from being PEACE OFFICERS to being jack booted military."

Not at all true. Any officer endowed with the powers of policing any given jurisdiction, is able to do only what they are allowed to, with whatever they are issued, by those that empowered them in the first place. The people.

There are a great many places in the US, where officers are not even allowed to carry firearms. When he/she tells you they are placing you under arrest, you are expected to obey. But I have also seen where the officer gets gunned down. In every instance, the people change their laws allowing for a weapon, including when the officer is allowed to use it.

The fact is, the Police belong to and are controlled by the people empowering them. Settlement, Town, City, County or State. If you don't live within their jurisdiction, STFU! If you do, use your power to change them.

It is for this reason I remonstrate on their behalf.

Bandit wrote:

No, the Police are not out of control. The people are.

It's a proven fact, that those complaining about LE, have absolutely nothing to do with their local government, or run into "enforcement".

"This is mostly because sometime during the last 30-40 years police went from being PEACE OFFICERS to being jack booted military."

Not at all true. Any officer endowed with the powers of policing any given jurisdiction, is able to do only what they are allowed to, with whatever they are issued, by those that empowered them in the first place. The people.

There are a great many places in the US, where officers are not even allowed to carry firearms. When he/she tells you they are placing you under arrest, you are expected to obey. But I have also seen where the officer gets gunned down. In every instance, the people change their laws allowing for a weapon, including when the officer is allowed to use it.

The fact is, the Police belong to and are controlled by the people empowering them. Settlement, Town, City, County or State. If you don't live within their jurisdiction, STFU! If you do, use your power to change them.

It is for this reason I remonstrate on their behalf.

No doubt there are bad police but not the majority of them. 99.9 percent of Americans never have a run in with police. It is only the few that say they are out of control. But for the most part the police are good people. It is easy for anyone to say they are out of control. But fact is they are not. Just like in the military you have bad people and good people. But the vast majority are good.

Officer Wilson did his job period.

Bandit wrote:

eber322 wrote:

This is mostly because sometime during the last 30-40 years police went from being PEACE OFFICERS to being jack booted military.

Not at all true.

Completely true. Whether you want to blame it on the "people" or not. Except for Sheriffs that are elected, the rest of the police answer to and, are empowered by, the government, not the people. And yes, theoretically the government answers to the people, but in practice we know that doesn't work very well either. These guys wearing full body armor, carrying automatic rifles and driving tanks are not peace officers, they are military under the jurisdiction of the city, county, etc they work for. And many police departments are now private corporations that work for whoever pays them, they don't answer to the people either, they are mercenaries and answer to the dollar. You can write letters to your government, at any level, and attend all the city council meetings you want, none of those governments care what you think of their police.

Bandit wrote:

...great many places in the US, where officers are not even allowed to carry firearms.

And where exactly is that? I've never heard of any district, city, county, etc in the US where cops go unarmed while on duty.