Today's TASER Travesty

Australia's Sydney Morning Herald recently concluded a year-long freedom-of-information court fight to obtain the results of a 2008-2009 trial by the police down there (results that the cops did not want released, judging by their fighting tooth and nail to avoid having this become public reluctance to give out the data) that was used to justify the apparently already-made decision to give a TASER to every officer in the state of New South Wales:

"The documents reveal that police and the government used the trial as window dressing to affirm a decision they had already made - to give the weapon to all general duties police - and ignored worrying results."

"Worrying results" is an total understatement, to say the very least.

Some of the many "stunning" and thuggish incidents of police misusing TASERS the paper uncovered were:

"Stunning a handcuffed child at a juvenile detention centre.

Stunning two suicidal people covered in fuel, which can be ignited by a Taser blast.

The repeated stunning of a compliant man who presented no threat and was surrounded by members of the riot squad. This is being investigated by the Ombudsman and police.

...

Since its introduction, 26 officers have been disciplined for not following police operating procedures, and the NSW Ombudsman has had 14 complaints.

...

There were cases of people being hit by a Taser as many as six times, and others where police appeared to use the weapon to make argumentative but non-threatening people comply with directions.

In one case a sergeant drew his Taser when he encountered two young men spray painting. He drew the weapon, he later said, because one of the vandals was carrying an extendable paint roller and he was ''unsure what their reaction would be to his presence''. He did not fire the weapon.

A mother was accidentally hit when police fired at her son in one incident and a police officer was accidentally stunned in another.

Police also pointed Tasers at groups of people, including protesters inside the Villawood Detention Centre, despite Tasers being acknowledged as an ''inappropriate'' weapon for use against crowds.

Police also appeared habitually to misuse the weapon in its ''drive-stun'' mode, in which the Taser is held against the target's body and causes pain without incapacitation.  According to the Australian distributor, that mode is designed to be used only when the initial discharge fails.  But the trial showed numerous examples of police using only drive-stun mode to gain compliance."  (Emphasis ours)

Showing complete disregard for the TASER's intended use as a less-than-lethal defensive weapon, we remind everyone, not to mention a disgusting misuse of their official police powers.

Nope, no worries or concerns here, according to Assistant Police Commissioner Alan Clarke: 

"'I believe the overwhelming evidence is that Taser are being used appropriately by NSW Police.'"

Then you are a liar as well as a thug, sir. 

How long will it be until the peasants of the world decide that being herded by the functional equivalent of a cattle prod whenever and wherever abusive cops wish is no longer acceptable?