BART Police Ordered To Turn In Tasers

[Kadie]

EXCLUSIVE: BART Police Ordered To Turn In Tasers
Posted: 2:05 pm PDT April 15, 2010
Updated: 6:16 pm PDT April 15, 2010


OAKLAND, Calif. -- Following an incident involving a BART police sergeant inappropriately discharging his Taser, transit agency officials have ordered all its officers to hand in the controversial weapons Thursday until further training could be undertaken, KTVU has learned.

Sources told KTVU that officers received orders on Thursday afternoon from the agency’s top brass to turn in their Tasers after interim BART Police Chief Daschel Butler issued a memo with the instructions.

The rank-and-file officers of the BART police department got word of the order Thursday afternoon and could be seen stopping by the headquarters at the Lake Merritt BART station. Officers approached by KTVU said that any questions would have to be answered by commanding officers.

The final straw, apparently, came after an April 1st incident when BART police sergeant who was responding to a call about an alleged assault at the Richmond BART station.

Multiple sources said the sergeant was pursuing a 13-year-old boy who was fleeing the scene on a bicycle and reportedly deployed his Taser at the teen from his moving vehicle.

Sources said -- and the police chief confirmed -- that the shot missed and the youth was uninjured, but that the way the Taser was used was raising numerous questions.

more...
http://www.ktvu.com/news/23164719/detail.html?tsp=1

[babylonsister]

1. Excellent! nt

[ejpoeta]

2. there really needs to be some sort of guidelines or rules regarding tasers.

i mean, i understand that the tasers are meant to be a non lethal alternative to shooting people, but it seems some are going crazy and using them for much more than needed.

[blueamy66]

3. It's pretty sad that it has gone this far.

Adult LEOs cannot be trusted with tasers.

Holey moley.

Something is very wrong here.

[inna]

5. Was that sarcasm?

[blueamy66]

11. No, I'm serious.

It's like taking the cowboy gun away from your 6 year old cause he won't stop hitting his sister with it.

'Cept these guys aren't 6 and the tasers can really hurt people.

[Grand Taurean]

4. Good to hear this. Tasers are WEAPONS!

Just as guns and knives are and the same goes for pepper spray.
The LE community calls their weapons tools. That is strange if not outright lying to say so.
There is something very disturbing about a weapon that can paralyze someone like tasers do.
http://excited-delirium.blogspot.com/

[SnoopDog]

6. Tasers should be regarded as a Glock or XD 9 mm firearm...

Tasers are deadly weapons and to be use ONLY in extreme emergencies like firing their service revolver...

[tekisui]

7. Good! knr

[backscatter712]

8. Between this drive-by attempted tasering, and the execution of Oscar Grant...

Am I the only one that thinks the BART police department should be burned to the ground, the earth upon which it stood salted, and rebuilt from scratch?

[KittyWampus]

9. Tasers- good in theory but seem to work better on paper.

[LeftyMom]

10. Did they turn in their guns? They haven't got a great track record with those, either.

[spin]

12. So since they don't have TASERS, they will just use their firearms ...

rather than discipline the officers who misuse their TASERS, the best solution is to take the TASERS away from everybody?

Someone may well end up shot unnecessarily.

Of course, the solution will be to take all firearms away.

Someone will end up getting beat half to death with a nightstick, and the solution will be to take all batons away.

Someone will get smacked with a flashlight and the solution will be to take those away too.

The BART police will just stand by and eat donuts while the criminals run wild.

[Grand Taurean]

13. Tasers do NOT replace guns!

That is a lie started by the Taser bastards and the piggies.

[spin]

14. However Tasers do enable the police to stop a criminal ...

without killing or severely injuring him as they would with a firearm. A lot depends on the situation. Obviously, if the civilian is armed with a gun or a knife and is threatening the officer or another person, the officer is justified in using lethal force (a firearm) to stop the attacker.

In many cases where an officer may use a baton to subdue an individual, a Taser might inflict far less damage. Pepper spray is another alternative. All weapons used by police can be misused and a civilian should have the right to contest their use if there is reason to believe they were misused.

In my opinion, an officer should have the ability to use a number of tools to subdue a uncooperative individual, but he should realize that any force used will be subject to strict and fair review.

[Grand Taurean]

15. They are WEAPONS, not tools, weapons!

Though one could argue that cops are tools of the system!

:rofl: :dunce: :hide:

[spin]

16. A question ...

Suppose you reached for your wallet and a cop mistakenly felt you were reaching for a weapon.

Would you rather be tasered or shot several times by his .40 cal Glock?

I agree a Taser is indeed a weapon, but in most cases a non lethal weapon.

[Dappleganger]

17. Tasers are for lazy police with incorrect training

on how to handle themselves and perps on the job.