Caught on Tape: Minneapolis Cop Tasers Man For No Apparent Reason

If this report is correct, and there were several officers on the scene, then the cops better settle out of court. This is unreasonable abuse of power. It doesn't matter if the perp initially struggled; he is complying now. You can't taser him even if he tells you he won't comply, until he physically does not comply. I know cops get hurt in physical confrontations, but this is an unpleasant aspect of the job, and the faint hearted need not apply. The point is, there were several other officers on scene, and between them, they should have been able to control this man without using a weapon.

Unreal, inexcusable.
I'm so tired of seeing videos like this and then reading everyday peoples comments on countless blogs and forums defending these acts.
This guy should not be a police officer, he needs to be fired, he needs to be charged with a crime.

Please watch "The Largest Street Gang in America", it's an eye opener.

Pete, I think you *are* anti-cop. I've already seen this clip at Steve's new website, CrimeSider.

Sorry, but unless and until I see the entire, unedited, clip *with* the audio and until I know all the facts of this arrest, I will not fall for it.

Pavlov's dog I ain't. Nice try.

Wow, you've made so many video clip posts allegedly depicting bad police work lately that I am more certain than ever that you really hate the police, you just *claim* to be pro-LE.

You got a funny way of showing it.

Support the Victim, Tasers are much safer than applying traditional physical force to a person. Think about it.

If a suspect is tweaking (and we don't know if this guy was or not, not yet), they become superhuman and impervious to pain. Trust me, this isn't the movies. If a man resists arrest, even six or seven officers will struggle hard to subdue them. Police are not allowed to take any shot they can in a fight for control. No thanks to our ACLU unionized court system rulings.

And directly grappling with someone who refuses to cooperate risks personal injury and risks having a gun grabbed. Directly wrestling with a suspect gets officers KILLED. In the blink of an eye.

Have you ever been on the receiving end of a hostile glare which you sensed was a sign that the person was about to flip out on you? If not, then you have no idea what the police were picking up on out there in the dark. An unrestrained full grown man is a very dangerous animal.

Now criminals who know how to work the system know that if they just holler hard enough, we'll feel sorry for *them* and second guess the *police*. We will second guess the *police*!

Ever think of second guessing the suspect?

Unless and until the entire clip is revealed, and all the facts are known, including everything about the suspect, the police deserve to be given the benefit of the doubt. They are entitled to presumption of innocence because they are CITIZENS FIRST.

Something the media barely notices on its way to making a buck with the inflammatory clip, edited for maximum sensationalism.

I remember what the media did with the Rodney King clip. I remember quite well.

jnjoblon, I am tired of seeing videos like this and reading all the posts that automatically indict the police.

Alexa:
As the grandaughter and cousin of several cops, my heart and sympathy usually rest with them and their plight. However, I have noticed a stark change in the people who are becoming police officers now. Going by the book or being a no-nonsense bully seems to be the norm. The use of common-sense has mostly gone out the window. I blame it on the lawyers and many groundless law suits from the past. You know the ones the county should fight but just pay out of court cause its cheaper. Good cops and those that use their brain in an individual situation have mostly quit or retired.

Many police departments have policies to tell officers when it is appropriate to use a taser. This should not be done liberally. Between June 2001 to Aug 2008, 330 people have died from police use of tasers. Most had some underlying medical condition that the officer did not know about. Epileptics, heart patients, children (yes, they have even been known to use them on children), pregnant women, and individuals in an altered mental state, seem to be more susceptible to injury and/or death. Several of the people that have died were not resisting, were unarmed, and posed no threat to the officer in any way.

[A typical policy for the use of a taser should be based on the level of resistance by a suspect. The Taser should only be used when a suspect "makes physically evasive movements to defeat an officer's attempt at control," according to Bradenton, FL police dept and Manatee & Sarasota Sheriff's dept policy.
Those maneuvers include punching, kicking, obstructing or opposing an officer, threats of physical force and fleeing from an officer, according to all three agencies' policies.]

Use of a taser is one (Normally but not always) non-lethal use of force in an officers arsenal, that should be used only under strictly defined situations. Even the taser manufacture has a warning about permanent injuries that can be sustained by its use. Liberal use and a cavalier attitude is what leads to warranted lawsuits.

Support the Victim:

I am not related to any cops nor do I currently have any as friends.

Asking cops to use more common sense would mean we would have to rely on their judgment, versus just going by the book. Every time they use their judgment, we whine.

They can't win. They.Can't.Win.

No. I have learned the hard way. The more rules, and guidelines, and procedures, and policies we keep building on top of each other, the more we render impotent the very people who need their own instincts and their own judgment in the heat of the moment.

The more we regulate every motion a cop can take, the less they can improvise without fear of being punished.

Of course Taser has issued some warnings. They have been sued enough that soon Tasers will come with those big flapping warning labels you find cemented to the power cords of hair dryers.

It's as if every time the cops come up with a clever, not-intended-to-be-lethal weapon to not only help themselves, and the public, someone comes along to whine "Nooooo! You can't use that eeeeitherrrrrrr!"

Oh.My.Frikkin'.Gawd!

There is a 100% effective way to keep the cops from Tasing you: COOPERATE. Don't be erratic. Don't be hostile. Don't be violent. Your personal comfort, and possibly your life, is at stake.

If you don't want to feel the immense pain, or risk your bad heart, THEN DO EVERYTHING *POSSIBLE* TO KEEP THE POLICE FROM TASING YOU.

Here's an idea: take personal responsibility for your behavior and chances are better that you will not give off the wrong impression that might inspire a cop to think "get out the Taser."

The vast majority of arrests or traffic stops are conducted calmly and with the driver fully cooperating. Guess what? THEY DON'T GET TASED.

Even the obnoxious jerks who don't cooperate DON'T GET SHOT. They get Tased. They suffer some intense pain for a brief period of time out of their lives. And that is all.

The cops do not risk their guns being grabbed. They don't risk exchanging blood with the arrogant jerk because they had to fight the guy. The jerk lives to be a jerk again on another day.

And we force the cops to deal with the miserable freak yet AGAIN.

If you are basing your opinion of this incident solely on the edited clip posted, then you are operating with less than half of the facts.

Have you decided that the police are guilty until proven innocent?

Pete is especially prone to manufacturing the appearance of ruling the police guilty in the court of public opinion based solely on a tiny clip, excised from the entirety of the arrest, and without knowing the body of the facts in toto. But it does generate traffic.

And it corrodes confidence in the very fellow citizens who risk their lives to save our sorry asses.

God bless our police and their families. I am especially thinking of Ofcrs Munley and Scott.

I agree... God Bless our police officers and their families. They are the unsung heroes on the front line, in the US.
I admit, I have only watched this small clip of this incident, but this is not why I call for stricter restraint in the use of Tasers. The manufacturer has guidelines and warnings and they are not to be taken lightly.
As I said, I have many close family members that are in law enforcement. My family members have talked about this issue and others regarding law enforcement. Many of the newer people joining the force are coming in with different attitudes. The general attitude is becoming more militaristic, aggressive, and bullying toward any individual that this type of officer encounters. (Don't get me wrong; this is not even most new officers, but even one is too many if you encounter this guy)
It doesn't matter if you are the most upstanding, cooperative and polite person, this type of cop will find any reason to attack you.
Example: If you are stopped for whatever reason or no real reason just because this officer is bored, and you don't produce ID fast enough to suit him, he will taser you. I know you think this is bull shit but I've heard stories and have no reason to doubt from credible sources in the field.
Now, what if your young daughter was coming home from work at night and got pulled over by one of these kinds of cops. Would you feel secure that she would not be tasered? Would you feel secure that in her nervousness about being pulled over, possibly for the first time, that she would not be tasered? Even if she is totally polite and accommodating but a little shakey in the voice and hands, that could be all the cop needs to say he is justified to taser her for his safety. Does that sound reasonable to you? Should every cop have the right to stay at a safe distance from every citizen they stop or encounter and taser that person for their own safety, even if unprovoked?
Now what if your daughter is pregnant and not showing yet? This cop may have just killed your grandchild and for what... because your daughter was nervous???
This is a very plausible scenario and the very reason why I will not change my mind on the prudent use of any weapon.
Did you know that even if you don't die from being tasered that you can experience permanent injuries. Please look at the research on this link: http://www.law.stanford.edu/program/centers/scjc/library/tasers.pdf
I do believe cops should be able to use their common-sense and good judgement in each incident they encounter. Well written policy, in regard to the proper use and deployment of any weapon is also for the safety of the officer, as well as the public.

SupportTheVictim,

I am not trying to defend *UNprovoked* use of a Taser and I am astounded that you think I have.

I repeat, if you do not want a cop to Taser you, then don't be a jerk. Even a pregnant nervous teenager can Follow The Orders Of The Cop When Told.

Since I have greater faith in the majority of the cops out there, many of whom have teenage daughters too, I'm not letting my imagination run away with me in order to assume that a fidgety teenager will induce a trained professional to unleash whupass on her.

No, the far likelier scenario and a better hypothetical subject is a young adult male, because they are usually who bring on the pain. By being resistant, arrogant, uncooperative, abusive, hostile, threatening, mocking and provocative. They are far more dangerous. Especially if they're on drugs.

I would be much, much more afraid that my traveling pregnant teen would be accosted by criminals. Gangas, car-jackers, robbers, rapists. Because, you know and I know, the odds are far greater that between the criminals and the cops, it is the criminals who will harm her.

Our police have all the hand-tying, emasculating and over-wrought policies and rules and regulations and code and procedures and checking and double-checking necessary as it is.

What we need to do as a society is to better train our citizens to understand the horrendous job we make our police do and to be a lot more empathetic. Because if more of us would put ourselves in their shoes, we wouldn't act all entitled to being treated like royalty. More of us would be proactively helpful.

You know, as in help. As in helping our protectors to help us. A lot of pressure would be relieved all the way around if we could inspire our police by seeing us openly and unashamedly supporting them.

And the criminals would get the message loud and clear: uh oh. The citizens are becoming more united with the police, not less.

Just so you know, the groups I do mistrust more than ever is our colleges. Especially if I don't know who funded the study they produce.

*Correction to my comment of yesterday, I said "Munley and Scott."

I got the second officers name wrong. He is Ofcr Mark Todd, who a witness there said also fired at Hasan, along with Ofcr Kim Munley, after which Hasan dropped to the ground. I would not be surprised if bullets from both service weapons are retrieved from Hasan.

If there is any sense of justice in America left, Hasan WILL be executed sooner rather than later.

If you are not defending *UNprovoked* use of a taser, than why are you arguing anything here. We are both obviously pro-police and both agree that this little video clip does not show the whole scenario. The only thing we can analyze is what we are presented; the same would be true for a jury. All I said in my initial post was,
"IF THIS REPORT IS CORRECT, and there were several officers on the scene, then the cops better settle out of court. This is unreasonable abuse of power. It doesn't matter if the perp initially struggled; HE IS COMPLYING NOW. You can't taser him even if he tells you he won't comply, until he physically does not comply."
In this case all the cops had to do was wait for him to make a non-compliant move and he could have been tasered. Lifting a hand off the hood of the car or kicking toward an officer with his foot, would have been sufficient reason to taser. I watched the tape several times. He did nothing except vocalize during this segment. We don't even know what he was saying. This is still the USA, he has a right to free speech.

You said, "...if you do not want a cop to Taser you, then don't be a jerk. Even a pregnant nervous teenager can Follow The Orders Of The Cop When Told."

Yes, this is true but, I'm pointing out, that for SOME COPS, you don't even have to be non-compliant for them to find a reason to taser you. The general perception is that, this new gadget is non-lethal, so it won't really hurt anyone, and I have it so why not use it. The reality is that this is a WEAPON that DOES HURT people and sometimes, IT KILLS.

By the way, I've witnessed plenty of cops unleash "whupass" on TOTALLY compliant, teens, old people, middle-age businessmen, and college students.
Their offense was they POLITELY SPOKE to the officer without being ask to.
Sadist & bullies, find jobs in all professions. Most are attracted to positions of authority. The trick is to weed them out before they are unleashed on the public and hurt the reputation of good professionals in the field. Read the following: http://www.truecrimereport.com/2009/11/college_student_bryan_able_kil.php
I just saw this, this morning. It proves my point exactly. You'll have even more reason, to mistrust our colleges, once you've seen this, and see the kind of criminal justice majors, they are pumping out. Want to help? Contact Hocking College to demand that, this guy be expelled.

Rules and regulations are put in place to protect the police officers as much as to protect the public and the rights of the accused. Many, many criminals have walked free because some cop decided to take out street justice before the courts get them. NO DA wants to lose a case this way. It doesn't serve the public interest either.

While you are on the subject of Munley and Scott, I'd like to say, God Bless them both and good job. Kim Munley, "We are all very proud of you" (Munley is my home-town girl)

You can respond further to this post, but I am done posting on this subject. Thanks for a good conversation on an important and ongoing police policy issue.

SupportTheVictim,

In your penultimate comment you did not add as many qualifiers to your references to cops, so it sounded *to me* as if you were still more inclined to focus on the misbehavior of a few cops as if they are representative of all cops, rather than focusing on the misbehavior of the criminals. That is part of why I felt compelled to further argue my position.

I think it is likely that we're more in agreement than not.

But I refuse to take my eye off the criminals and their responsibility for all of this misery. It is simply too easy, too accepted, for us to lash out at those who are standing close by, misdirecting our anger at those who risk everything to protect us, at those who we love for it.

It's gotten so bad, we make no effort anymore to publicly direct our outrage and pressure at the people directly responsible: the criminals.

Ofcr Kim Munley is a potent petite package who I am so very glad is on a police force in America. She and Ofcr Todd are far more representative of our police forces than those who let us down.

Thank you for the civil discussion, too. Too many others would have simply given up, hurled names, and decided I am "part of the problem." This was refreshingly mature and engaging. I wish more comment exchanges across the interwebs would be like this.

Good day.

The fact that a full clip showing the entire incident hasn't surfaced yet may indicate that this is the entire clip. If this is the case, it would imply that the cop turned on the camera right before he tased the guy. Why, one might ask, would a person intentionally video his self committing assault? Answer: BECAUSE THE COP THOUGHT HE WAS TURNING THE CAMERA OFF WHEN HE WAS ACTUALLY TURNING IT ON!!!!!

I also notice that the officer tased the man with his gun side hand. Doing so both rendered his gun inaccessible to him and put his gun in reaching distance of the "perp". This is a very obvious example of improper police procedure. I would think that if the man actually posed a threat and the cop actually felt threatened, the cop would at least try to adopt some semblance of a defensive posture i.e. keeping his gun side turned away with his free hand covering it.

the police office should be fired.......

the police office should be fired.......