Today's TASER Travesty

A naked, apparently very mentally ill Brooklyn man capering on a second-story ledge waving around a fluorescent light bulb like some sort of Jedi sword was TASED by an NYPD SWAT member on the orders of a supervising officer. The man fell to the concrete ground under the ledge, and subsequently died.

While clearly a serious situation, the man wasn't directly threatening anyone, and it appears to be overkill to shock the crap out of him while he was still perched up on the ledge. The police brass seem to agree:

"Asked if police followed the proper protocol for using a Taser, NYPD spokesman Paul Browne said, 'That's being reviewed.'"

A New York Police Department lieutenant was stripped of his gun and badge, and the officer who used the stun gun on the man was placed on administrative duty Thursday, officials said.

Those actions would seem to indicate that the "proper protocol" was NOT used in this case.

It's ironic that a person deemed a "danger to self or others" was treated in such a cavalierly unsafe manner. Let him dance around all he wants. He's contained and unable to harm anyone, and will come down eventually when he gets tired or comes out of his mania. If he falls due to his own actions, then he bears the responsibility, not the cops. There was no need, in our layman's view, to get so tactically aggressive for the seeming reasons of convenience and speed.

We emphasize once again: The TASER isn't and was never meant to be a catchall compliance tool for getting reluctant people (especially ones not thinking rationally) to do what you want them to. It is a "less-than lethal" defensive tool to protect police officers and innocent bystanders, not a more portable cattle prod.