Fan Tased at a Phillies game!
By goldeneagle
@goldeneagle (6743)
United States
May 4, 2010 1:07pm CST
OK...let me start by saying that I am a former law enforcement officer, although we didn't have tasers when I was an officer. I was just watching CNN, and they reported a story of a fan at a Philadelphia Phillies baseball game being shot with a taser by law enforcement officers after he ran out onto the field. I am usually one to side with law enforcement officers when it comes to these sorts of things, HOWEVER, I am going to say that this particular incident was an unnecessary use of force. Tasers were designed to be used as an alternative to deadly force, and from what I can tell in this situation, no one was ever in any real danger, so I don't feel the use of the taser was justified, because this is clearly not a case in which deadly force would have been necessary, so I don't feel that an alternative to deadly force was necessary. This kid was just trying to have a good time, and I don't feel that he was a threat to anyone. I was not there, and I don't know exactly what happened, but my gut, which is rarely wrong about these sorts of things, is telling me that this is a case where the use of the taser was totally unnecessary.
5 responses
@Autumnrose2008 (1478)
• United States
4 May 10
This would be just another case of a cop with a taser that does not know how to properly use it. This is the second time that I have heard of cops using their tasers rather than doing their job. Not a good thing when our police need police to police them.
@goldeneagle (6743)
• United States
4 May 10
Our police have always had police to police them. That is what Internal Affairs and things of that nature are all about. However, I see exactly what you mean. The taser was meant as an alternative to lethal force, much the same way that bean-bag bullets and pepper spray were meant to be used. However, they were NOT meant to take the place of real police work. Too many officers have started using them as an alternative to having to run down a suspect. I can tell you from experience that there are a lot of situations where the best thing to do IS to use the taser to stop a foot pursuit, however, this situation was not one of them. This kid should have been tackled, handcuffed, and arrested. There was no need for tasers to be used in this situation...
@goldeneagle (6743)
• United States
4 May 10
I was hoping that someone would respond, because I accidentally posted the discussion before I put in the question asking other people to tell me their opinions on this issue. LOL I agree that the taser is a good tool for an officer to have available, and there are situations, even situations that would not call for lethal force, in which tasers would definitely make the situation easier to control. However, there were enough people on the scene in this situation that they should have been able to catch this guy and get him off the field without using the taser on him. As I stated in the discussion, I was not there, so I do not know all the details, but I have to stick with my gut feeling on this one and say that tasing him was unnecessary this time...
@dawnald (85137)
• Shingle Springs, California
5 May 10
I know that when I took a law overview in high school, there was a lot of talk about appropriate use of force. I don't quite get how just running out onto a baseball field is a situation that requires this kind of force. Maybe if he was running full bohr toward somebody with something dangerous looking in his hand. Otherwise, it sounds like overkill to me too.
@frontvisions101 (16043)
• Philippines
5 May 10
I agree. That's an overuse of tasers. There should be a law on this cuz this could just go on and on without any authority stopping it. What's the point using it to that fan when they can manually subdue him? Absurd.
@frontvisions101 (16043)
• Philippines
5 May 10
I agree. That's an overuse of tasers. There should be a law on this cuz this could just go on and on without any authority stopping it. What's the point using it to that fan when they can manually subdue him? Absurd.
