GA - The death of Frederick Williams taser-related?

[browneyes]

It sounds to me that there needs to be more education regarding seizures and how the symptoms evolve.

Anyone who answers a 911 call (LE, Firemen, Paramedics) should definitely have special training.

It seems to me that once a person is handcuffed and possibly shackled they are not a threat to anyone.....so why the need to punish them after this point. I'm gonna talk to my son about this.....I'd like to hear what training (if any) he has with this. I would sure hate to think he would harm someone in this vulnerable position.

 

[BrowneyedEmily]

I'm very angry after seeing that video and several others over the past few weeks. Isn't it time we took back our rights? LE is no longer our friend.

I agree with you. It's a sad world right now. To be scared of LE is just...terrifying. It's a feeling of terror accompanied by a feeling of hopelessness. I've felt it for some time now - below is an entry I wrote in a personal journal - don't read it if you don't want to, but things here in Raleigh, NC are just as bad as elsewhere, and I'm frustrated to the point of anger.

I don't really like getting on a soapbox, but there are a few select issues I can't take anymore. I get a slight build-up of anger when hearing certain stories, and if I don't do anything about it, it's not helping anything.

I used to drive 10 miles per hour over the speed limit, mostly because I'm impatient. I've never been in a wreck and I've never gotten a ticket. Now I drive THE speed limit. And that's because I'm scared of what could happen if I got pulled - or more, I'm afraid of who is pulling me over.

First you have 28-year-old Michael Steele, who resigned last month after a woman made allegations of inappropriate behavior during a traffic stop. A Hispanic couple on their way home from a medical procedure was stopped by Steele, who told the husband he would face immigration violations if he didn't drive away alone.

Steele then (allegedly) forced the woman to get into his patrol car where he drove to a secluded area and forced her to kiss him. He then told her to give him her number or he would kill her husband and two daughters, and made arrangements to have sex with her.

Steels is off the force, but I assure you, he's not the only one to pull this.

Then you have the maniacs with the stun guns. I don't mind them having stun guns - I'm thinking of owning one myself - but their excessive use of them is terrifying.

Today the News & Observer reported that police went to an Elon man's home to arrest him on misdemeanor traffic charges - reckless driving. They sent half the force (which isn't many, but still significant), and within one minute of the man exiting his home he's tasered - twice. The newspaper has a video on their website from the patrol car that's quite disturbing, at least to me.

This isn't just happening here. Ask 26-year-old Eric Kush. He had a warrant out for his arrest for failing to appear in Tempe Municipal court on traffic citations. Apparently the cops felt that he had "cop-killer bullets" and "bad guns," and serving this warrant justified a SWAT team.

In the end, after a raid, his house was on fire, his 10-month-old pit bull puppy was dead, his neighbors were terrified, and one of his neighbor's cars was smashed by an armored car that had brakes.

And the cop-killer bullets and bad guns? Non-existent. Kush owned an antique shotgun and a 9 mm pistol - both legal. But thank god this guy is off the streets, right?

Law enforcement is beginning to abuse its authority, and what's being done? No one should fear the people who are supposed to protect them, but who has a choice at this point? No more speeding, no more switching lanes without a turn signal, no more driving in cloudy weather without my lights on, and no more loud music. Not until I can feel safe in the present of law enforcement.

For more information about the Elon case, go here: http://www.newsobserver.com/news/story/724987.html.

For more information about Eric Kush's case, go here:
http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/2004-08-05/news/dog-day-afternoon/full

 

[BrowneyedEmily]

It sounds to me that there needs to be more education regarding seizures and how the symptoms evolve.

Anyone who answers a 911 call (LE, Firemen, Paramedics) should definitely have special training.

It seems to me that once a person is handcuffed and possibly shackled they are not a threat to anyone.....so why the need to punish them after this point. I'm gonna talk to my son about this.....I'd like to hear what training (if any) he has with this. I would sure hate to think he would harm someone in this vulnerable position.

I agree completely. One shock seems to be enough to distract/disable a suspect long enough to gain control - why the need for three, five, six shocks per suspect within a short amount of time? It's becoming a rampant abuse of power, and something has to be done to keep it in check. But who/what can keep LE in check?

 

[JBean]

Jelly I think I've told you this story before. I worked with a guy that had a seizure at work (he and I were the only ones at work that day). He was in his late 20's and his dad owned the store. I wished to goodness him or his dad had told me about his having seizures before that day becasue when it happened I had no clue what was going on. I was scared to death. My co-worker was standing near me and said "be right back" and walked out the back door. I heard a lod THUD sound and dropped everything and ran out the back door. He was laying at the top of a wooden staircase with his head about an inch from the edge and he was in a seizure. I ran back in and screamed for someone (customers) to call 911 that he was was having a seizure or something. I went back outside and like an idiot didn't know what to do so I just squatted down next to him and held his clenched hands and repeated you'll be ok, I'm here. A customer came out and asked me step aside and told me he was a doctor. Anyway, I called the owner and left a voicemail message asking if Matt (the co-worker and owners son) had any seizure conditions because he was having a seizure and we had called 911. The paramedics arrived shortly after the seizure and like Jelly has described Matt then became very upset, cursing and willing to fight them off him. Matt's sister arrived in just enough time to get the paramedics to back off and let him be for a few minutes. I feel bad for calling 911 and causing things to escalate but I really wished that he or his family would have warned me and told me what to do and what to expect. Now reading this, I am so thankful the police didn't come! What struck me was how the sister knew about the postictal (spelling?) reaction but the paramedics did not. They were circling him and trying to take him down! I think paramedics and police officers should all be told about this reaction. Seriously after waiting 20 or 30 minutes he was ok and calm. After the reaction was over he even got up on the paramedic stretcher himself and let them take him to the hospital for more tests. The next week he told me he felt the seizure coming on and didn't want to scare me or the customers so he went outside but it hit him quickly. I told him how he was so very close to the edge of a tall staircase and all I could think about was how he could have fallen down to the concrete below.

HI dellemma. Yes, you have told me that story and his behavior was not uncommon .Often epileptics are belligerent and argumentative in their postictal phase. Funny thing is my son has never even witnessed this behavior of his own because he has zero recollection. He doesn't even understand completely how bad he can be.
Personally I think this cop knew what was happening with the guy in this story.. I think the whole thing stinks to high heaven!