Colorado Police Looking Into Death after Taser Shot

[JustTheFacts]

What an IMBECILE!!!! :rolleyes:


By Julie Waggoner, Colorado Daily (U. Colorado)

BOULDER, Colo. -- The Boulder County Investigative Team is investigating the death of 22-year-old Ryan Michael Wilson of Louisville, who died Friday night after a police officer shot him with a Taser.

Cmdr. Craig Earhart of the Longmont Police Department, who heads the investigative team, said he couldn't release information about the investigation, but said it is proceeding with the help of one sergeant from Longmont and seven investigators from throughout Boulder County.

A press release from the Boulder County Coroner's Office late Monday stated that "The cause and manner of (Wilson's) death are pending further laboratory testing."

Officer John Harris of the Lafayette Police Department shot Wilson with a Taser after he ran from police officers and members of the Boulder County Drug Task Force who suspected him of growing marijuana in a field near Waneka Lake.

"What it appears to me is that this is just another case of our government and law enforcement handling a non-lethal drug with a lethal measure," said Mason Tvert, chair of Safer Alternative for Enjoyable Recreation (SAFER), a campaign petitioning to legalize possession of up to one ounce of marijuana.

Wilson, who was armed with a folding knife, "displayed assaultive behavior" when stopped by police, which caused Harris fear of death or serious injury, according to a statement from the Lafayette Police Department.

Police are investigating whether Wilson threatened Harris with the knife.

Wilson immediately collapsed after he was shot with the Taser and officers found him unresponsive.

He was pronounced dead at 8 p.m. at Exempla Good Samaritan Medical Center in Lafayette, approximately one hour after Harris shot him with the Taser.

Harris is on paid leave pending the results of the investigation.

"Is it worth having people die for running away, in this situation, because he was growing some pot?" said Judd Golden, chairman of Boulder County's American Civil-Liberties Union (ACLU) chapter. "The punishment for that crime, even in the worst-case-scenario, is not very severe."

Following Wilson's death the ACLU demanded an immediate moratorium on Taser use in Boulder County.

"The risk outweighs any benefit," Golden said. "How did (police officers) operate before they were invented? It seems like there are a lot of other ways to deal with suspects."

Boulder County Sheriff Joe Pelle said sometimes suspects die after being taken into custody regardless of how they are apprehended simply due to medical conditions.

"When there's a tremendous amount of adrenaline involved and when there's been a chase or a fight and particularly when people have certain kinds of drugs in their system, sometimes death will ensue following an apprehension," Pelle said. "It doesn't seem to matter what tool is being used to apprehend them, so we have to be careful about jumping to conclusions."

Pelle said he has conducted an in-depth study of Taser usage and found that enforcement agencies nationwide show six severe injuries in nearly 10,000 uses of stun guns, such as Tasers.

Golden said the ACLU believes the risk of death to those shot with Tasers is high enough that they should only be used in situations that merit deadly force.

Tasers use electric energy to temporarily incapacitate potentially dangerous or violent individuals by overriding their central nervous systems. This allows officers to more safely take suspects into custody.

Julie Brooks, spokesperson for the Boulder Police Department, said Tasers can be used in three ways: as a threat to gain compliance where the Taser is not deployed; as an aid in taking a suspect into custody through deployment with the Taser in direct contact with the suspect or as an aid in taking a suspect into custody through deployment at a distance.

She said the Boulder Police Department uses X26 model Tasers, the same type Wilson was shot with before he died.

Officers of the Boulder Police Department used Tasers 27 times from Jan. 1, 2006 to May 31, 2006. Twenty-one of those uses were to gain compliance and the Taser was not deployed.

Officers deployed Tasers while in direct contact with suspects twice and fired them at a distance four times, resulting in one reported injury.

Brooks said the Boulder Police Department will not review its Taser policy as a result of Wilson's death because the department reviews such policies regularly, most recently on May 1, 2006.

Lt. Tim McGraw, spokesperson for the CU Police Department, said CUPD officers have been armed with Tasers for two years and have deployed them 12 times. He said individuals shot with Tasers by the CU Police Department have not suffered injuries as a result.

"We've found it to be the safest way to take someone into custody," McGraw said. "The Taser provides a momentary level of discomfort to the arrested person with no residual effects."

Pelle said the Boulder County Sheriff's Department may review its Taser-use policies as a result of Wilson's death after it has more information about what happened in this incident.

"We are always open to new ideas and new concepts," Pelle said. "We'll take the information once we have facts rather than speculation, and we'll act on that."

http://www.officer.com/article/artic...on=11&id=32013

[gabe a.]

"What it appears to me is that this is just another case of our government and law enforcement handling a non-lethal drug with a lethal measure," said Mason Tvert, chair of Safer Alternative for Enjoyable Recreation (SAFER), a campaign petitioning to legalize possession of up to one ounce of marijuana.

Mr. Mason Tvert is a major proponent of legalization of marijuana. His website, coined "SAFER", listed below, is an entertaining read... if nothing else.
www.saferchoice.org/

Why not tell Mason Tvert what you think of his anti-law enforcement viewpoints?
mason@saferchoice.org

And for what it's worth, the city of Denver did legalize possession of a small amount of MJ, but it's still illegal in the state.... oops

[JustTheFacts]

And for what it's worth, the city of Denver did legalize possession of a small amount of MJ, but it's still illegal in the state.... oops

Do what!!! :eek:

[Upandatem]

From reading the article it seems to me they weren't handling the 'non-lethal drug with lethal force', they were handling the lethal KNIFE with lethal force. :rolleyes:

[Taxx]

Here is my take on it.

What an IMBECILE!!!! :rolleyes:


"Is it worth having people die for running away, in this situation, because he was growing some pot?" said Judd Golden, chairman of Boulder County's American Civil-Liberties Union (ACLU) chapter.

Yes!

"The risk outweighs any benefit," Golden said. "How did (police officers) operate before they were invented? It seems like there are a lot of other ways to deal with suspects."

They worked harder and got hurt more often!

Boulder County Sheriff Joe Pelle said sometimes suspects die after being taken into custody regardless of how they are apprehended simply due to medical conditions.

Very true. Most agencies require officer to be Tazed before carrying a tazer, how come no officer has died, yet. Tazer International has done extensive tests using an outside testing company with no fatalities. Also several doctors have testifed that a Tazer has not caused a death. There were some that said that it did, but they later recanted their testimonies saying they were pressured or paid by the deffense attorneys (ACLU).

"When there's a tremendous amount of adrenaline involved and when there's been a chase or a fight and particularly when people have certain kinds of drugs in their system, sometimes death will ensue following an apprehension," Pelle said. "It doesn't seem to matter what tool is being used to apprehend them, so we have to be careful about jumping to conclusions."

People have died in handcuffs. We should stop using those. My spotlight might give someone a stroke, we should outlaw those too.

Pelle said he has conducted an in-depth study of Taser usage and found that enforcement agencies nationwide show six severe injuries in nearly 10,000 uses of stun guns, such as Tasers.

Remeber, it's not called non-letha, it's less than lethal.

Golden said the ACLU believes the risk of death to those shot with Tasers is high enough that they should only be used in situations that merit deadly force.

Then why carry a gun?

Tasers use electric energy to temporarily incapacitate potentially dangerous or violent individuals by overriding their central nervous systems. This allows officers to more safely take suspects into custody.

Not true, it effects their neuromuscular system.


Officers of the Boulder Police Department used Tasers 27 times from Jan. 1, 2006 to May 31, 2006. Twenty-one of those uses were to gain compliance and the Taser was not deployed.

See the crap that the ACLU makes us have to document. Our department makes us document everytime we even mention the word "Taser."

Officers deployed Tasers while in direct contact with suspects twice and fired them at a distance four times, resulting in one reported injury.

Brooks said the Boulder Police Department will not review its Taser policy as a result of Wilson's death because the department reviews such policies regularly, most recently on May 1, 2006.

Good for you guys!

Lt. Tim McGraw, spokesperson for the CU Police Department, said CUPD officers have been armed with Tasers for two years and have deployed them 12 times. He said individuals shot with Tasers by the CU Police Department have not suffered injuries as a result.

12 times in a year? We average that in a month. They should look at bigger departments to get a better understanding of how a Taser does not cause death.

"We've found it to be the safest way to take someone into custody," McGraw said. "The Taser provides a momentary level of discomfort to the arrested person with no residual effects."

ACLU, you didn't like the old way either, "comply or I will strike you again."

Pelle said the Boulder County Sheriff's Department may review its Taser-use policies as a result of Wilson's death after it has more information about what happened in this incident.

You have to say that to leave your options open.

"We are always open to new ideas and new concepts," Pelle said. "We'll take the information once we have facts rather than speculation, and we'll act on that."

I think I just said that.

http://www.officer.com/article/artic...on=11&id=32013

[gabe a.]

they were handling the lethal KNIFE with lethal force. :rolleyes:

Taser is far from lethal force, despite the liberal ramblings of the ACLU.

[RO56]

ACLU = American Criminal Liberties Union

[mpd145]

Dang another death, maybe they should lower the voltage on those things

[MetPC]

"How did (police officers) operate before they were invented? It seems like there are a lot of other ways to deal with suspects."

The same way that we still do, repeatedly hit and pummel said suspect until they can no longer move. Obviously this involves a slight risk of permanent injury/death but hey it's better than gettin tazed right?!:D

Dang another death, maybe they should lower the voltage on those things

:rolleyes:

[Upandatem]

Taser is far from lethal force, despite the liberal ramblings of the ACLU.

Your right. I must of gotten the taser confused with the firearm after reading how all the times they referred to the taser as 'leathal'.

[Cinnamon]

This is unreal. He had a knife and used it in an aggressive manner...put the taser away and shoot his a$$...end of story!

[sparty]

This is unreal. He had a knife and used it in an aggressive manner...put the taser away and shoot his a$$...end of story!

I'd rep you for that one if I hadn't just given you rep for another post.;)

Seriously, why use a less than lethal weapon when the bad guy has a lethal one?

[Cinnamon]

Seriously, why use a less than lethal weapon when the bad guy has a lethal one?

Exactly! And I can't believe the media is all over this. Why does the media have to be so anti-police?? I mean, I don't mean any ill-will on people, but wouldn't it be nice if some media person was a victim of something, and then they saw what we did to save their a$$, we'd probably be on the front page then as a hero.

[mpd145]

This is unreal. He had a knife and used it in an aggressive manner...put the taser away and shoot his a$$...end of story!

lol...nice......

[retdetsgt]

Wilson, who was armed with a folding knife, "displayed assaultive behavior" when stopped by police, which caused Harris fear of death or serious injury, according to a statement from the Lafayette Police Department.

This is kinda ambiguous. It only says he was armed, did that mean he had it in his hand threatening the officers or was in a case on his belt? Did they find it in his pocket after the fact? Big difference.

If he had it in his hand, the officer, IMO screwed up. He should have shot him. I don't believe in lethal force being met with non-lethal. This follows the same insane reasoning that we should shoot to wound.