Fort Smith Police: We Can Use Tasers On Minors (Arkansas)

[Heidi]

UPDATED: 10:44 pm CST November 17, 2009

Fort Smith police say although their Taser gun policy calls for not using the weapon on someone younger than 14 years old, officers can use it on a minor if they're being physically violent.

On Monday, 40/29 News talked with the father of a 10-year-old Ozark girl who had a Taser gun used on her by an officer who was trying to place her under arrest.

Ozark's Police Chief Jim Noggle said an officer was called to home because the girl was being unruly. Noggle said the girl's mother gave the officer permission to fire the Taser at her daughter.

Noggle said the officer did so after the girl kicked him in his groin. Noggle said the officer properly used his discretion when he fired his Taser at the girl.

Noggle said the weapon was used like a stun gun rather than deploying probes, which Fort Smith police officer trainer James Hays says has a less dramatic affect.

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[sakabatou]

1. WTF?!

[Demit]

2. The police chief applauds his officer's choice of level of force used on a 10 yr old girl:

'"It causes physical pain but it doesn't do anything to the muscles," Hays said. "So the person can still pull away, run or fight. When you shoot the probes out they spread further apart and they affect more muscles and that's what causes the muscle lock up."

Hays said the amperage for the Taser when used as a stun gun and when probes are deployed equals .0021, which he said is far less than the average household outlet amperage that's usually between 15 and 20.'


This was punishment, plain & simple. Too many police are using tasers as a toy for meting out pain. Billy clubs used to do what the police chief just described, depending on how hard the cop swung it, but no cop would have dreamt of using a billy club on a 10 year old girl. A taser is so high-tech, somehow that takes the stigma away.

I hope that cop's fellow officers never let him forget how he needed to 'defend' himself after being kicked by a 10 year old girl.

[RamboLiberal]

3. So a parent can be arrested for spanking a child

But a cop can taser a 10 year old. And no I'm not condoning spanking. Just pointing out the irony.

[Heidi]

6. Why bother spanking a child when you can give a police officer permission to Tase the kid?

:shrug:

[Lance_Boyle]

4. Of course we would all have preferred that the officer tackle the girl

and maybe break a rib or two. :eyes:

This is what happens when crap parents call the cops to do their jobs for them.

[Heidi]

5. UPDATE: Officer Suspended After Taser Incident

UPDATED: 12:22 am CST November 19, 2009

OZARK, Ark. --
On Wednesday, the mayor of Ozark weighed in on the decision made by one of the city's officers to use his Taser on a 10-year-old girl.

"Certainly I was personally shocked to find out that it took place," said Vernon McDaniel.

<snip>

"The officer in question has been suspended for seven days for failure to have his camera on at the time of the incident," McDaniel said.

While Bradshaw is suspended with pay, McDaniel is asking the Arkansas State Police to open a criminal investigation into his actions.

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[TexasObserver]

7. More misuse of this dangerous police weapon.