Won't sign a traffic ticket? That's a tasering!

[kelpdiver 2]

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Signing a ticket in most states is merely a pledge to show up in court. Failure to sign means you are not "promising" to show up in court, therefore an arrest can be made so a bond can be posted. In my state WE sign the citation, then there is no arguing over signing something.

If the driver signs nothing, how do you have a case? Don't you then have to prove the person in court was in fact the driver, and not just someone that had said driver's license?

Seems like it makes a bigger mess than making citizens acknowledge receiving the citation and the ensuing court appearance date.

I have a hard time feeling too badly for people who won't sign in the face of being arrested. If they lose the ability to act and think rationally in this situation, how are they when someone makes a lazy lane change and cuts them off?

[kelpdiver 2]

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I'm not condoning the cop's actions, but I'd like to know his dept's reasonings or rules regarding taser conduct. But maybe, the cops would rather taser the dude than risk a physical altercation. Suppose the suspect has HIV or some dangerous blood-borne disease that could get transferred in a fight?

Too many dead people from taserings to justify such a policy. As suggested, it needs to be treated as a substitution to deadly force, not as a method of pacification.

[Amazon 7]

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As suggested, it needs to be treated as a substitution to deadly force, not as a method of pacification.

Or as an excuse by a sadist to administer "justice"

[skycop 0]

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If the driver signs nothing, how do you have a case? Don't you then have to prove the person in court was in fact the driver, and not just someone that had said driver's license?

Because the court has enough faith in our word, also if I lie I'm committing a felony. It does prevent petty bickering about signing vs. arresting for refusing to pledge to show up for court for a violation. If the guy says "i'm not showing up for court" then he can be arrested, if the guy says I never got the ticket there is other evidence, i.e. dispatch logs, radio tapes, in-car videos, etc.
If an officer does falsely state he issued a ticket, then he is commiting a felony. And the system will hammer him. In the 20yrs I've been doing this, I've never encountered a problem. It's a very simple effective system.

"Just 'cause I'm simple, don't mean I'm stewpid!"

[KelliJ 0]

I'm fairly new here but does anyone here actually pay attention to the video before responding? The guy knew why he was stopped, at :44 the cop says "going kinda fast" then the conversation trends that way. At 1:16 the guy admitts going 68 and the cop tells him there is a 40 mph sign a half mile back (not to mention the one he was parked by at the start of the video). At 2:12 the cop tells the guy he was stopped for speeding. The guy refuses to sign the ticket and wants to argue, something we all know is wrong. Thats what the judge is for. The cop tells him to get out of the car, he does, tells him he is undr arrest, the guy wants to argue and asks the cop "what is wrong with you?". The whole time he has his right hand partway in his pocket. Whether he is putting his wallet away, getting a smoke, or jusr resting his hand there we all know that putting your hand in your pocket when being placed under arrest is a bad thing to do. How was the cop to know he wasn't reaching for a knife or gun or something? With a taser pointed at you and staring you in the face a warning is moot and redundant. The guy was tasered when he turned his back and walked away, completely disobeying the cops instructions....LEGAL instuctions. The cop did not need to read him his rights at that point, legal eagles can explain why.
My opinion is the cop was justified in the use. (He also told his cop buddy a pretty staiight version of what happened.) Anything that happened was because the guy wouldn't cooperate with a cop giving him a simple speeding ticket. He would be free, after signing the citation, to drive back and see the signs himself. If he wants to use that as a defense in traffic court he iis free to do so.

[Lindsey 0]

The guy was tasered when he turned his back and walked away, completely disobeying the cops instructions....LEGAL instuctions.

Maybe what the guy did was disrespectful, belligerent, disobedient. But would you think his actions would justify deadly force? That's the only time they should be used, imho.

--
A conservative is just a liberal who's been mugged. A liberal is just a conservative who's been to jail

[normiss 622]

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Because the court has enough faith in our word, also if I lie I'm committing a felony.

conflicting statement that has always confused me about cops...and one of the reasons innocent people lose in court.

that "blind faith" in a cop's word is wrong.

[shropshire 0]

<>
Then I hope that you're not a cop. The video clearly showed that the cop over reacted big time.

(.)Y(.)
Chivalry is not dead; it only sleeps for want of work to do. - Jerome K Jerome

[AdamLanes 1]

Cops should carry multiple tasers, so the police officer could taser that pregnant woman too when she threatened him by getting out of the vehicle.

[KelliJ 0]

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The guy was tasered when he turned his back and walked away, completely disobeying the cops instructions....LEGAL instuctions.

Maybe what the guy did was disrespectful, belligerent, disobedient. But would you think his actions would justify deadly force? That's the only time they should be used, imho.

Walking away from the cop when tld he was being placed undr arrest was also very illegal. His argumentative nature, refusal to cooperate, and having his hand partway in his pocket were plenty enough reason for the cop to choose taser over trying to overpower the guy. Add in the fact that the cop was alone and there was a woman in the car who had already attempted to intervene.
BTW, tasers are "less than deadly" force, not deadly. Isolated deaths have happened but are extremely rare.

[KelliJ 0]

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<>
Then I hope that you're not a cop. The video clearly showed that the cop over reacted big time.

That is a matter of opinion. The guy had already escalated a minor misdemeanor into a trip to jail, where was he going to stop? Would you be willing to bet your life(if you were the cop) that he would stop short of trying to hurt you?

[AdamLanes 1]

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BTW, tasers are "less than deadly" force, not deadly. Isolated deaths have happened but are extremely rare.

Um, you obviously don't watch the news. It seems like everyday somewhere in the USA there is another taser death by the police. I could post some links, but if you just do a quick google search...

[shropshire 0]

The cop was in no immediate danger. From what I saw he was not making any threatening behaviour, so did not warrant an attack and did NOT receive so much as a warning. The cops actions were un professional at best. - simple as that really.

(.)Y(.)
Chivalry is not dead; it only sleeps for want of work to do. - Jerome K Jerome

[skycop 0]

Because the court has enough faith in our word, also if I lie I'm committing a felony.

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conflicting statement that has always confused me about cops...and one of the reasons innocent people lose in court.

that "blind faith" in a cop's word is wrong.

It's funny, I knew someone would look at that statement and respond in the way you did. It is a great responsibility to have the court let us sign the citation. It is not blind faith by any stretch, it prevents petty arguments along the side of the road that could escalate to what is in the video.

"Just 'cause I'm simple, don't mean I'm stewpid!"

[skycop 0]

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That is a matter of opinion. The guy had already escalated a minor misdemeanor into a trip to jail, where was he going to stop? Would you be willing to bet your life(if you were the cop) that he would stop short of trying to hurt you?

I've already tried that with many in here, alot of them think the officer has to be assualted before reacting. I personally think the trooper was a little quick with the taser in this case, but I understand why it was used. Check out some other taser threads and see what some have said, it's kinda scary

"Just 'cause I'm simple, don't mean I'm stewpid!"

[kelpdiver 2]

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Because the court has enough faith in our word, also if I lie I'm committing a felony.

Unfortunately, it is virtually impossible to prove that the cop lied in court, so it's carte blanche. The CHP definitely uses their reputation to their advantage in some cases.

[KelliJ 0]

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The cop was in no immediate danger. From what I saw he was not making any threatening behaviour, so did not warrant an attack and did NOT receive so much as a warning. The cops actions were un professional at best. - simple as that really.

Lots of people...cops included...have died a few seconds after they were in no immediate danger.

If you were in the cops shoes, that is, you have told the guy he is under arrest and he refuses to comply with your instructions and even starts to walk away, what would you do? Of course, you could let him walk away but that would defeat the purpose of giving a cop any authority at all. You could tackle him, but you don't know what he has in his pocket or what the woman in the car is going to do. She may have a gun or knife herself.
What would you do?

[normiss 622]

blind fainth in anybody's word is just foolish.
cops DO use it to their advantage.
I've seen it first hand...while I won't argue my reasons for being in court or what happened...but it didn't happen anything near what the lying cop said on the witness stand...and fortunately for me his version didn't stand up...

[speedy 0]

it's damn lucky the cop had a taser, otherwise the guy would have been shot.

The speeder can thank his lucky stars that he was only tasered. With a bullet in him he would not be able to protest his innocence.

I don't know what everyone is complaining about, do you really believe you live in a democracy where justice is served? Forget it, justice is for the rich, getting tasered is for the rest.

Dave

Fallschirmsport Marl

[warpedskydiver 0]

shooting someone to death over failure to sign a traffic ticket may get you is some hot water.

[freethefly 6]

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Suppose the suspect has HIV or some dangerous blood-borne disease that could get transferred in a fight?

HIV quickly dies outside of the body. In order for HIV to be passed from one to another during a fight, one open wound would need to be pressed against the other. Being that wounds bleed out and not in, the likelyhood would still be extremely thin that transmission would occur. To my knowledge, and I read everything concerning HIV/AIDS, there has never been a case of transmission during a fight.

"...And once you're gone, you can't come back
When you're out of the blue and into the black."
Neil Young

[jakee 1,257]

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I don't know what everyone is complaining about, do you really believe you live in a democracy where justice is served? Forget it, justice is for the rich, getting tasered is for the rest.

Yeah, that's not worth complaining about at all, is it?

Do you want to have an ideagasm?

[diablopilot 2]

That cop was way out of line. He could have possibly prevented this by explaining to the driver that failure to sign the ticket would result in the officer being forced to place him under arrest, and that signing the ticket in no way admits guilt.

Drivers often forget those two points in the heat of the moment.

He further escalated the situation by drawing his weapon on the driver with out explaining that he was intending to arrest the driver. When the office says "Ok hop out" the driver thinks that they going to look at a speed limit sign.

When the man turns towards his vehicle, he is not a threat, he is bewildered.

The cop is a rank amateur.

----------------------------------------------
You're not as good as you think you are. Seriously.

[KelliJ 0]

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That cop was way out of line. He could have possibly prevented this by explaining to the driver that failure to sign the ticket would result in the officer being forced to place him under arrest, and that signing the ticket in no way admits guilt.

Drivers often forget those two points in the heat of the moment.

He further escalated the situation by drawing his weapon on the driver with out explaining that he was intending to arrest the driver. When the office says "Ok hop out" the driver thinks that they going to look at a speed limit sign.

When the man turns towards his vehicle, he is not a threat, he is bewildered.

The cop is a rank amateur.

Any escalation of the situation was brought about by the actions of the driver, not the cop. The situation escalated when he refused to sign the ticket. It escalated again when he resisted arrest. It escalted slightly more when he got up from the ground and walked up to the cop.
The driver was nor bewildered, just belligerent. The cop acted very well considering he was outnumbered by one person in the car who may or may not be a danger, and the driver who was acting irrationally about a speeding ticket.

[KelliJ 0]

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shooting someone to death over failure to sign a traffic ticket may get you is some hot water.

It sure can! Good thing he tasered the driver resisting arrest and failing to comply with an officers legal instructions instead.