Tasered on Camera

This was an eye-opening video. It angered me alot. To see that the students watching had the presence of mind to get it on camera and online. I had a strong urge while watching to physically stop the UCLA cops by any means necessary. I hope to see this video again soon in other outlets.

I just watched your UCLA / police video. First of all, the video is horrible so making an informed decision regarding the appropriateness of the use of force is impossible from the video. Also, one of your descriptions noted that the effects of the Taser last from 5 to 15 minutes. This is ridiculous. As a police officer who has used the Taser and been Tased himself, I can tell you that as soon as the Taser is turned off, the subject does not feel any lasting effects. No pain, no paralysis, NOTHING. In fact, I''d rather be Tased than get pepper-sprayed. Secondly, from the moment the student turns his camera on.. all I hear is non-compliance on the part of the suspect. He is clearly not obeying the officers'' lawful commands and seems to be trying to pick a fight or make a scene. As I understand it, the police were called to the library, they didn''t pick this confrontation on their own. Perhaps the brilliant students at UCLA would prefer that the police never responded to 911 calls. Let the students deal with the crime. themselves. Try walking a mile in the cops shoes before you start criticizing them. Unfortunately, police officers have to deal with the messes in society that nobody else wants to deal with. Sometimes they have to use force and when they do they get criticized by ignorant, spoiled college kids who don''t have to worry whether or not they may get shot and killed on any given day that they go to work. I don''t believe in excessive use of force but nothing I saw or heard suggest the cops were doing anything that was unreasonable. Also, we don''t know if the Taser proves were deployed or not. A subject can either be touched with a Taser or he/she can be shot with the Taser probes. The Taser probes will incapacitate the subject for the duration of the deployment (5 seconds). A "touch" Tase does not incapacitate, it is merely a noxious stimulus that usually gets people to move in the direction they are supposed to go. Either way, after the 5 second burst from the Taser, the subject would have been able to immediately walk and do what the officers were repeatedly ordering him to do. Nobody has the legal right to disobey a lawful order by the police which is what this person was doing. He may disagree with the library asking for his removal but the right forum to argue that in would be court. He was clearly being disorderly and obstructing the legal process.

I am apalled at seeing this pod. An extreme example of excessive and not to mention completely unnecessary use of force. And I really loved how at the end of the video, an officer tells a bystander to go away and he asks why, and the officer proceeds to say "because i said so..." and followed with something along the lines of if you don''t you''ll get tased too. Yeah, that''s a real clear and immenint danger to that officer... or not. I''m glad Current TV is around, because I highly doubt anything like this would be shown, because of course... can''t show our "protectors" doing their jobs illegally.

Ok. There was enough people there too do more then just film the man being tasered.
How brave the camera man when he is hiding behind monitor. With the video evidence if the students. the future leaders and upholders of democracy, justice and the american way stand and watch a man being basically tortured and do NOTHING!!
Then who the fu*k ever will.
Bitch Whinge cry about democracy slipping away, About big brother,a bad president, the infringement of civil libertys and "bring the troops home". But then stand there with a camera and do nothing!
Why does it happen? Because the people do nothing. We as a soceity of scared sheep decided our fate. That is all our faults.
If this can happen with that many people standing watching. Whats happening behind closed doors?

With regard to the incident aired on Current TV at 0120 hrs on the 7th April 2007.

At the time of writing I didn''t see what drew the attention of the officers to the student. However, it is apparent to me that the officers in this specific video were not trained nor capable of handling the situation quietly and peacefully.

The officer administering the Tazer shocks repeatedly ignored the opportunity to calm the student. Instead the student was mentally and physically pushed well beyond reasonable behavior within moments of the officers arrival. That is plainly clear.

I find the video very disturbing, and I would seriously not consider allowing any of my family to be treated this way nor attend a college that would allow these methods to police thier students.

Each of the officers should face criminal charges. I would start with the officer who brandished the tazer used and query his intent and actions. I would question his accomplices abilities also.

Disgusting.

First, let me start by saying that rarely is any force used by police, pleasant to see. It often looks barbaric and or violent. You can go on a variety of websites and see videos of officers using force, and for the most part, to the untrained eye, you would draft up the opinion that there is something wrong with the officers.

Granted, on this video, I was not there, and I doubt that most of the people did not see the altercation between the police and the student from the beginning. People and so called experts can "what if" or "they should have tried this" incident to death.

I, as an 18 year police officer and sergeant, can also second guess the actions of these officers, as well as the actions by the student to provoke the incident. However, I have no idea what the mind set of each person involved was. The only thing I can say with certainty is, the student should of adhered to the officers orders. Either provide ID or vacate the premises. I, as an alum of UCLA, and of Mexican descent, adhered to the same rules back in the day.

I know the student indicated that he felt he was singled out. None of us can dispute that. Only he knows what he felt. Is it reasonable? I dont know. The officers who used force felt that he was non-compliant, maybe they felt threatened. None of us will know what they were thinking when it occured. Is it reasonable? I don''t know.

There are so many variables to consider. If the student would have complied, or seriously felt that he was being singled out cause of his middle-eastern descent, he should have left and contacted a UCLAPD supervisor, an administrator or retained an attorney.

To not comply with officers orders was not wise. Nothing good happens.

I guess what I''m saying is lets see how this plays out. let all the "experts" evaluate the actions of all involved and the policies that govern these officers actions. Maybe they were following their use of force policy. Maybe not.

I would recommend that if you get the chance, go on a ride along with your local police department and see how quickly officers have to make life and death decisions. Put yourself in their shoes and see what unemotional, professional, almost robotic decisions you make. Then wait for eveyone, including the media to second guess everything. Then try to sleep at night, wondering if you''re going to lose your job, go to jail or lose your home.

II guess I''m just asking everyone to let justice run its course before we conclude that all officers are always trying to abuse their power.

I applaude current for being impartial in this and many other topics. It''s truly a great forum. Keep up the good work!

When we go to work, buy alcohol, board a plane, go to the doctor, write a check, use a credit card, enter certain places, we sign in and/or show ID! Why???

Because there are criminals who want to go into places like schools and work places and kill people. They want to steal our credit card information and checks and go shopping, or buy plane tickets and hijack the plane and fly them into skyscrapers.

Perhaps they are bipolar, or disturbed, or angry, or on a mission, but there still has to be a policy established to sift out the bad from the good! Those that do not want to comply with the "safety" rules do not get to enjoy the privileges that the others do.

Those students within earshot of the person videoing while this obstinate disturbed student was being tased for refusing to show ID and refusing to leave when asked, need to think about this.

DID THEY SHOW THEIR ID BEFORE THEY ENTERED? Did THEY refuse to? If they don''t have ID are they turned away? Do they realize the purpose of these rules??

This is the way our world is now. Like our teachers in elementary school used to say, "....because one of you was talking while I was out of the classroom, all of you must miss recess."

Well because things have changed on the face of our country, all of us must comply with these rules.

Because we were trusting and complacent and didn''t check ID''s or investigate suspicious people, doesn''t mean we should sit on our hands again and allow certain people, foreign OR American to get special privileges, or break the rules when the rest of us follow them.

Those vocal students that wanted the information on those campus officers to report them for doing something wrong need to get it and write the officers a letter of apology and appreciation for being there to protect them and risking their own lives to do so. They remained calm in the face of a troubled student, and in the face of an angry crowd.

If a person walks in your library and is not identified as a student, which means that anyone could walk in off the street you are at the mercy of this person.

It could be a homeless person just wanting to cool off (sad, but against the rules - and don''t say you would not turn your nose up at the smell and probably move to another table), or a person that just walked in and comes to sit next to you and strikes up a conversation....obviously not a student. Irritating. The rules are in place for a reason. We want our library to be a quiet place where we can study.

You are already at the mercy of the nut driving behind you on the interstate, or the person that is walking around in the dark at night hoping to find an open door, or anything they can steal, or just to grab you while you are walking from your apt. to your car so they can rob you or worse. Why in the world would you want to be at risk in a safe haven like your library?

Kudos to those officers! Great thinking to the videographer. You got both sides on tape for the world to see. You got the calmness of the officers hired to uphold the rules that we all must follow. You got the immaturity of a compassionate crowd perhaps, trying to grow up, be involved, and to understand, but giving a classic example of how 911 happened. Believing everyone is good. Perhaps that was the way it was once. Well times have changed.

SHOW YOUR ID OR YOU DON''T GET TO COME IN AND ENJOY THE PRIVILEGES THAT THE REST OF US DO.

1. Follow the rules
2. Police are here to enforce the rules if not followed
3. Most people are quick to judge without hearing the whole story.
4. The only reason that this was on TV was to get a reaction and that is just sad!

This actually was the follow up to the pod. This version of it includes some of the findings of the investigative report that was recently released. You can view the whole report at the link above.

Because being current is good.

This article from Slate.com gives an overview of what exactly happens when a person gets tasered.

Wow Poster #8 must be a cop. To say poster #6 force is rarely used, I don''t know what pleasantville you live in but let us know! Poster #7 - "show us your papers?"

Wow, yes you are right this isn''t the America that it once was, this man had NO REASON to be tasered. He was not armed nor hurting anyone.

Becareful fellow citizens, look at history 1936 as the Nazi party was climbing to power. Every time you accept an incident like this you are letting go of your personal American freedoms.

Tasers should be banned from all college campuses.