I want my own taser gun so I can show who's BOSS!!

[silverbear]

I guess it's different in different states.

Well, in the 38 years I've been driving, I've been ticketed in New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Virginia (not all of them speeding tickets)... in ALL of them, it was carefully explained to me that signing the citation was not an admission of guilt...

You can't blame the guy for not responding after the officer pulled the gun since it was obvious at that point he, the officer, was beyond good judgement.

Oh, I can DEFINITELY blame a guy who keeps on running his mouth when a cop has a taser gun drawn and pointed at him... that's just BEGGING to be shot...

Are you gonna stand there and argue with a guy who's got a loaded .45 aimed at you??

A guy pulls a gun on you for no reason, it's hard to trust him, especially when you're scared to death.

As I related in my last post, I've had up front and personal experience with exactly that... but I didn't find it hard at all to do exactly what he told me to do, I knew that was the only SMART thing to do in that situation... indeed, the nephew tried to get mouthy with the cop, and I jumped all over him, told him to shut the bleep up, can the attitude... I think the cop thought I was taking his side, which is a measure of what a fool he was; I was actually shaking with rage at him pulling that damned gun... but I knew that gettin' pissed wasn't gonna do anything to help the nephew, indeed it would probably have resulted in him being taken out of there in cuffs...

But hey, if you think that standing up to that cop on principle is worth spending a few hours in a jail cell-- after you've gotten your butt lit up with the taser gun-- go right ahead and show that cop you won't take any stuff off of him... just don't expect me to kick in for your bail, LOL...

 

[silverbear]

The officer could have informed the man of his rights before asking him to get out of the car. It's pretty clear, the driver was misinformed and assumed that signing the form meant conceding guilt, which it doesn't. Had the officer simply explained that to him, the man would have likely signed the ticket. The officer could have just as easily said the following:

"Sir, I need to inform you that your refusal to sign this form will result in me having to place you under arrest. I will have to ask you to step outside the vehicle and place your hands behind your back. By signing this form, you are not conceding guilt. You may still challenge this ticket in a court of law. However, I need you to sign this to verify your receipt of this. If you do not sign the form, I'm required to place you under arrest. Do you understand what I just said? Sir, at this point, I can't discuss this issue any further."

Gee...was that so hard? If the officer took some time and communicated this to him, it's likely the man would have just signed the ticket. However, if you ask him to step outside the vehicle and then suprise him with a charge of arrest, I too would be furious and confused.

I do agree that the man should have listened to the officer. I don't blame the officer for tasering him at that point because you never know. The guy could have pulled a gun or some other weapon. But the blame still lies with the police officer because it should have never gotten to that point. The officer could have been humble and tried to explain to the man his rights. I feel the biggest problem with police officers is their attitude as opposed to their enforcement of the law. Their personality really offends people in many cases. I think that issue is taken for granted. For example, I don't think people have issues with receiving speeding tickets as much as they do with the officer who pulls them over and behaves in a condescending and an intimidating manner while doing it. No one likes being spoken down to. In medicine, we learned that 80% of physician directed lawsuits are filed because the patient felt disrespected or mistreated even if the physician didn't actually cause any harm. Interestingly, doctors who do committ mistakes are often not sued because their patients like them.

This post makes a LOT of sense... the only quibble I have with it is I have never really experienced a cop being rude to me in the course of a traffic stop... to the contrary, every experience I've had like that, I've been struck with the courtesy I received...

I believe that the police are trained to be polite during a traffic stop, and are until and unless somebody gives them 'tude... I don't do that, so I've never had a problem...

 

[CowboyPrincess]

How did the police ever get by without tasers in the past???

The cops here are known for being taser happy

When I got pulled over last March (ON MY BIRTHDAY) for not putting on my turn signal 100 ft before my turn... silly me did it at about 60 ft... The officer walked up to my car with his hand on his taser. He was tapping his fingers on it and it scared the crap out of me. It made me lock my door, roll my window up half way and grab my cell phone in case I needed to make a call. I didn't wanna get zapped cuz he had a fight with his wife or something

 

[CowboyPrincess]

I believe that the police are trained to be polite during a traffic stop, and are until and unless somebody gives them 'tude...

Yeah right... that cop that pulled me over and scared me wasn't too polite. The first thing he said to me when he walked up was... "I pulled you over cuz you didn't use your turn signal properly. Have you been to jail before?"

 

[DallasCowpoke]

When I got pulled over last March (ON MY BIRTHDAY) for not putting on my turn signal 100 ft before my turn... silly me did it at about 60 ft... The officer walked up to my car with his hand on his taser. He was tapping his fingers on it and it scared the crap out of me. It made me lock my door, roll my window up half way and grab my cell phone in case I needed to make a call. I didn't wanna get zapped cuz he had a fight with his wife or something

So you're saying he was threating you w/ the shocker?

 

[CowboyPrincess]

So you're saying he was threating you w/ the shocker?

I don't know if I could say he was threatening me cuz he didn't pull it out. He just put his hand on it and tapped it while he had his other hand on his handcuffs

However, I could say that he was anxious to use that thing. He was extremely rude and I believed was trying to goat me into a verbal confrontation.

After the incident was over, I called my dad cuz I was really shook up about it. I had him on speaker phone cuz I didn't have my earpieces. I hadn't even started my car back up. The cop pulled up beside me, motioned for me to roll down my window and when I did he started yelling at me and demanded that I drive. I told him I was composing myself and he said to move it or go to jail. My dad yelled back over the cell at him. He told the cop that I wasn't deaf, didn't need to be yelled at and that he knew the cops boss very well and that he (my dad) was strongly suggesting that I file a report on him and his scare tactics involving a stun gun for a signal usage ticket

Like I said before, the cops here are zap happy. We've had several instances of people being zapped and cops being investigated for unnecessary aggression.

The cop in my case was reprimanded and told to steer clear of me.

 

[Cajuncowboy]

I don't know if I could say he was threatening me cuz he didn't pull it out. He just put his hand on it and tapped it while he had his other hand on his handcuffs

However, I could say that he was anxious to use that thing. He was extremely rude and I believed was trying to goat me into a verbal confrontation.

After the incident was over, I called my dad cuz I was really shook up about it. I had him on speaker phone cuz I didn't have my earpieces. I hadn't even started my car back up. The cop pulled up beside me, motioned for me to roll down my window and when I did he started yelling at me and demanded that I drive. I told him I was composing myself and he said to move it or go to jail. My dad yelled back over the cell at him. He told the cop that I wasn't deaf, didn't need to be yelled at and that he knew the cops boss very well and that he (my dad) was strongly suggesting that I file a report on him and his scare tactics involving a stun gun for a signal usage ticket

Like I said before, the cops here are zap happy. We've had several instances of people being zapped and cops being investigated for unnecessary aggression.

The cop in my case was reprimanded and told to steer clear of me.

Hey CP, you're back! Good to see ya.

 

[DallasCowpoke]

Hey CP, you're back! Good to see ya.

Thanks CC, 'preciate 'cha! :

 

[DallasCowpoke]

I don't know if I could say he was threatening me cuz he didn't pull it out. He just put his hand on it and tapped it while he had his other hand on his handcuffs

~bounces up and down on the edge of the couch, clapping hands together and giggling like a school girl~


:

 

[CowboyPrincess]

Hey CP, you're back! Good to see ya.

Good to see you too Cajun

 

[CowboyPrincess]

~bounces up and down on the edge of the couch, clapping hands together and giggling like a school girl~


:

You've spent way too much time with BP, TB and Hos

oh... and Juke

 

[Gibby!]

I don't know if I could say he was threatening me cuz he didn't pull it out. He just put his hand on it and tapped it while he had his other hand on his handcuffs.

The action of putting your hand on your weapon (Tazer included, although considered non-lethal) communicates an intent to use, im not sure how this translates to an police officer, but it makes sense that he was told to stear clear of you after that.


Different situation, but when I went through class D security training (Florida), we were told that even the gesture of putting your hand on your weapon during an encounter could result in criminal and civil charges...

 

[silverbear]

Yeah right... that cop that pulled me over and scared me wasn't too polite. The first thing he said to me when he walked up was... "I pulled you over cuz you didn't use your turn signal properly. Have you been to jail before?"

Perhaps he was the exception that proves the rule...

Does seem like he must have been pissed about something else when he stopped you, though...

 

[silverbear]

The cop in my case was reprimanded and told to steer clear of me.

As he should have been...

At the same time, you kinda proved the point I've been trying to make-- that jerk came up to you with a 'tude, and because you didn't give him any excuse to go off on you, you drove away from the incident...

Even with the jerks, you give 'em "yes sir" and "no sir", then cuss them when they're gone... that's all I'm saying...

 

[theogt]

The cop should be fired. He's a complete waste of oxygen. He should never be allowed to own any sort of lethal weapon, as obviously he's borderline ********.

I hope the cop and the police department are sued for a ridiculous amount of money. I can't believe they let someone that mentally unstable carry a weapon.

 

[heavyg]

The action of putting your hand on your weapon (Tazer included, although considered non-lethal) communicates an intent to use, im not sure how this translates to an police officer, but it makes sense that he was told to stear clear of you after that.


Different situation, but when I went through class D security training (Florida), we were told that even the gesture of putting your hand on your weapon during an encounter could result in criminal and civil charges...

Your right walking up on a traffic stop with your hand on your weapon or tazzer is not something your taught to do. And it is discouraged. However, with all the recent incidents of officers getting shot by thugs as soon as they get up to the driver some cops are a little on gaurd.