Landmark Taser Ruling Shocks Cops Back To Reality

POLITICS

» by Jordan C. Alston December 29, 2009, 16:24pm

Shock happy law enforcement beware, there are new rules of engagement when it comes to the use of Tasers by police officers.

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of Carl Bryan, a 21-year-old man that found himself temporarily paralyzed only to later be wracked with pain as the shear magnitude of his injuries overcame him, all resulting from one 1,200 Taser blast to the arm.

Bryan was unarmed and nonthreatening at the time, though clearly emotionally distressed and without normal mental faculties. He sued Coronado PD claiming that their improper use of what is meant to be a nonlethal alternative to firearms violated his constitutional right to be free from excessive force, a claim that was held to be true.

To date, there have been around nine Taser-affiliated deaths in the Sacramento area, the area covered by the 9th Circuit Court, of which the most recent loss of life stems from the death of an inmate at local Roseville jail whom was shocked to death after guards felt that he was resisting arrest.

There has been no report of exaclty how much Bryan was paid for having to suffer this misappropriation of justice.

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