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Quote by: ruksak  Dumb cops? I'll give you the benefit of the doubt, and assume you have little to no exposure to what they go through. |
Yeah, dumb cops. And what they have to go through is irrelevant. If what "they have to go through" is too tough for them to use common sense, then they are in the wrong line of work.
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Quote by: ruksak Decisions that must be made both instantaneously and judiciously. |
This was clearly NOT a situation where any of them had to "instantaneously and judiciously" make a decision. The kid had been speaking for some time, the cops had more than ample opportunity to decide on a coherent plan of action.
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Quote by: ruksak Hindsight not being in their bag of tricks, they must first control a situation before they can adjudicate it. |
It was clearly the cops that escalated the situation, which doesn't do anything to "control" it. And, what "adjudication"? Just escort the kid outside and the problem is solved. Are you seriously going to try and claim that 4 or 5 cops couldn't take this kid down without a taser??
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Quote by: ruksak I've gone out with my brother, an IMPD officer, on many occasions as part of a ride along. Seeing first hand how fast a nondescript and nonthreatening person can turn hostile or make an attempt to flee. |
Yeah, this kid was either gonna "turn hostile" or else make his getaway.
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Quote by: ruksak When a person is confronted by a police officer, they must respect both their authority and the fact that this is their job. Give them a break. |
Much too often a police officer counts on his "authority" to order whatever he wants. That's not gonna cut it these days when more people are aware of their rights.
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Quote by: ruksak The belligerent kid in this case did not respect them. He challenged their authority. He also chose to fight them. How can he now blame them for a decision he forced upon them? |
Yep, he goaded them into doing exactly what he wanted them to do, and they went for it, hook, line, and sinker. Not only did he get all the attention he wanted, but he got national recognition as well. In addition, police use of tasers everywhere is now under much more scrutiny by the MSM, which will be looking for every instance of it's misuse, real or imagined. I'll bet that there are police forces all across the nation that are reviewing their taser policies because of this event.
Yeah, I repeat, dumb cops.