People jump on the band-wagon of police brutality accusations before all the facts get out there. There will be an investigation, and hopefully the truth will come out. I have not seen enough to make a conclusion, one way or another.

Also, we don’t use tasers in Berkeley.

“Remember that policy dictates the officer should consider points a-g in making their decision, but that taser use is still a judgment call, so please keep that in mind:

a) I know you don’t think so, but yeah, there was potential for injury to both parties throughout the incident. The officers had already had to wrestle him down to the ground because he wouldn’t leave, and given the way he was acting toward them, it was reasonable to be uncertain about whether he had a weapon or not. Even when in handcuffs, more physical means to get him up and out of the library still might have been more dangerous (for the victim particularly).

b) Less than 200 people in the last five years have died from tasers, and often these deaths were due to other factors rather than the taser itself (heavy drug use for instance). Compared to how often tasers are likely used, the statistics of death/serious injury are so minute, it’d be wasteful to even bring it up.

d) Why was there not a reason to think he was armed? Doesn’t the incessant screaming before the police even do anything indicate that there’s something up with this guy? And yes, if the CSOs were the only ones to get involved, the violation was simply not showing his ID. But after he RESISTED actual police officers by not leaving when told, screaming his head off and physically being noncompliant, the violation kind of increased.

e) He was initially struggling as referenced by the police statement and witnesses. And remember that policy explains that an officer may deem it necessary to use a taser for actively OR passively resisting suspects. Also, the officers were not tasering him because he’d magically stand up in response. The taser ends resistance because it makes the suspect lose control of his body for a duration of a few seconds, making it easier to pick him up and take him outside, as is what happened.

You can’t be mad at these officers for following their department’s policy. You can definitely protest the policy itself, as maybe the taser SHOULD only be allowed for physically-threatening suspects, but these officers made a judgment call on a policy that supported these actions.”