bart cop tasers fare evader
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/06/25/BA581E4ITI.DTL&tsp=1
i think the officer was totally justified, and i agree with linton johnson (i never thought i'd agree with linton on anything. what a shock; no pun intended) who said that by not tasing the guy he would be sending the wrong message - that you can put up a fight with a cop and they will let you go.
and add lynette sweet to the douchebag list. she's right up there with john burrass.
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Just remember this ( and a
Just remember this ( and a few other classic moments) when You see Sweets name on the Ballot .
I want everyone to vote for
I want everyone to vote for her so she will no longer be a BART Director. She has my vote!
Good. He deserved to be tased
Good. He deserved to be tased for trying to fight a cop. In fact while we're at it, I wish BART cops could taser anyone eating or drinking in the stations and trains. I can dream right?
Haha, right on! At least some
Haha, right on! At least some pepper spray to help flavor their food!
As many complaints we read on
As many complaints we read on this site about fare evasion and no one at BART taking a stance on this, maybe this will change a few minds. If an individual who fare evades and fails to comply with an officer of the law and then attempts to square off with the officer before walking away, then it's the fare evader who was being stupid, not BART Police for doing what they needed to do in order to stop the individual.
Glad to see the cops are
Glad to see the cops are finally doing something about fare evasion at Downtown Berkeley.
The few times I have used that station I always see people hopping up the stairs near the bike locker thing since there are no fare gates there.
The signs say an alarm will sound if you jump the gate or open it but it's obviously not true.
That the victim was in an
That the victim was in an "aggressive fighting stance" is something they cut & paste into every report written after a cop has to use force on someone. How can you taze someone in the back twice while they are in an aggressive fighting stance?
Learn how to
Learn how to read.
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According to BART police Lt. Andy Alkire, the officer told Johnson to stop, then reached out to grab him. Johnson pushed the officer away and headed up the stairs, Alkire said.
When the officer tried to grab him again, Johnson swung around, revealing what Alkire described as a large object bulging from his pocket.
Johnson "clenched his fist and squared off against the officer in an aggressive fighting stance," then turned and started walking down Shattuck Avenue, Alkire said.
"Not knowing what was in his pocket and (with Johnson) already having shown an aggressive take," Alkire said, the officer figured he wasn't going to get any cooperation and that Johnson "was a definite threat to him."
So he pulled out his electric-shock weapon and warned Johnson three more times to stop or he would be Tasered.
"At this point, the subject just kept walking away, and (the officer) felt it was reasonable to use the Taser - which he did," Alkire said.
Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/06/25/BA581E4ITI.DTL&tsp=1#ixzz0sCJc0zHn
Ok, then explain how someone
Ok, then explain how someone walking away is a threat to you.
Also, what would your body
Also, what would your body language say if someone tried to grab you from behind on your way up the steps?
are you serious? if someone
are you serious? if someone grabbed me from behind, yes, my body language might suggest i am a bit surprised, pissed or even agressive. HOWEVER, the second i realized it was a COP that grabbed me, i'd change my tone. i wouldn't turn back around and continue to walk away from a cop.
regardless of whether or not the fare evader had a weapon, he needed to be stopped. what kind of message would the cops be sending if they just let everyone escape that put up even the slightest resistance?
It wouldn't matter whether
It wouldn't matter whether you eventually realized it was a cop, once you exhibit an aggressive fighting stance you are a threat and subject to eloctrocution. Someone turning and walking away is no more a threat to a cop than you relaxing after one grabs you from behind on the steps.
Tasers are supposed to be an alternative to shooting someone with a gun, not something you whip out any time someone doesn't do what you tell him.
I wouldn't turn my back on a
I wouldn't turn my back on a BART cop under any circumstances.
"once you exhibit an
"once you exhibit an aggressive fighting stance you are a threat and subject to eloctrocution"
this is simply not true. i get grabbed, turn around and maybe start the beginning of a "what the fuck do you think you are doing" and then i realize it is a cop and instead i say: "what the fu...good afternoon, officer. is there anything i can help you with?" a cop is NOT going to taze someone under those circumstances. you can say they will until you are blue in the face, but you are wrong.
"Someone turning and walking away is no more a threat to a cop than you relaxing after one grabs you from behind on the steps."
please reread the story before you comment on this anymore. the fare evader walked away but threatened the cop whenever he got too close. the evader was way bigger than the cop, who had to make a choice of letting the guy go vs. stopping him with some sort of force. obviously, letting the guy go is sending the wrong message, so that is not an option. and the guy wasn't even going to give up after being tazed once. it took the threat of a second jolt before he gave up. obviously the evader was a total lunatic and i think the cop made the right choice.
if people listened to cops, they wouldn't get tazed, shot, etc. and if you aren't doing something illegal in the first place, chances are you will have no need to be on the receiving end of a cop's taser/gun. i know i have nothing to worry about, because i'm not a thug.
Pretty sure that every taser
Pretty sure that every taser use rule in the world specifies that it isn't something you use because someone won't obey your commands; it is something you use when you or someone else is in danger. How exactly is a far evader walking away putting anyone in danger (aside from causing high blood pressure among internet posters)?
They say very clearly in the
They say very clearly in the story that he was suspected of having a weapon!!!
LEARN HOW TO READ!!!!!
Lies. Every use of force
Lies. Every use of force report in the world says that the suspect acted aggressive and appeared to have something that appeared to have the appearance of a weapon.
Were you there to see it
Were you there to see it happen? No? Then shut up.
The below message was sent to
The below message was sent to local newspapers/editorials by Chief Rainey.
Today marks the end of my second full week as the new BART Chief of Police.
I wish I could report that it was pretty uneventful, but I cannot. The
majority of my time has been occupied with coordinating with my law
enforcement peers in preparation for possible civil unrest in connection
with the Mehserle trial. A large percentage of the remainder of my time has
been spent addressing questions about why one of our police officers used
his Taser against a suspect who was resisting arrest after being contacted
for fare evasion.
The obvious answer for anyone interested in why the officer felt compelled
that he had to arrest this suspect is that the aforementioned behavior is
against the law, and we are paid to enforce the law no matter how minor.
More importantly, however, it’s not normal for a 35-year-old man to engage
in fare evasion or for him to aggressively and physically resist a
uniformed officer who is engaged in the lawful performance of his duty.
Bottom line, it’s because of this suspect’s behavior that there’s an issue.
Often, we find that individuals who engage in this type of behavior are no
strangers to law enforcement. That’s why it was no surprise to learn that
the suspect’s criminal history includes arrests and/or contacts for battery
on a police officer, auto theft, domestic violence, reckless driving,
giving false identification to an officer, trespassing and fare evasion.
If we are going to maintain a safe, secure and customer-service friendly
transit system, it’s important for BART police to enforce minor quality of
life crimes like fare evasion. We often ask the men and women of our law
enforcement agencies to exercise their discretion when performing their
public safety duties on our behalf under the most adverse conditions. They
regularly go about their daily routines knowing that their split second
decisions are subject to being hotly debated for days, weeks, and months.
With that said, this does not excuse officers who behave intentionally or
unintentionally in a manner that is not consistent with BART Police
Department operating procedures. That’s why we have processes and systems
in place to review all incidents involving the use of force. Therefore, we
should all step back and let that process occur regarding this incident.
Once completed, you have my pledge as the BART Chief of Police that if we
have done something wrong, we will admit it, take the necessary steps to
fix it and move forward together making our transit system and communities
safer.
Finally, one of our elected officials who expressed her opposition to Taser
usage has been subjected to personal criticism because of her views. This
is both unfair and undemocratic. In a free society the police are entrusted
with awesome power that must be open to scrutiny, criticism and citizen
oversight if we are going to maintain the public trust. Therefore, not only
should we expect this debate to occur, we should welcome it.
By Kenton Rainey
BART Chief of Police
Big surprise! It was never printed. Figured I would post it here so at least a couple of people might see the official response.
Jo-Jo
the less thugs on the trains
the less thugs on the trains the better...if you just act like a decent human being, this won't happen to you...if not, well I will be the one high fiving the officers after they take your ass down and zip tie your hands douche-bags!
i realize it was almost a
i realize it was almost a full month ago, but thanks for posting this.