Polk County police use new toy to murder man
As if increasingly-unaccountable law enforcement officers don't already have enough license to shoot and club with prejudice, they seem to also be prone to developing unhealthy attachments to their newest toys and gadgets. In March, police in Hawthorne, California, used a 50,000-watt stun gun to subdue a 130-pound, 12-year-old autistic boy at an area middle school. Despite claims by police departments everywhere that the use of tasers helps to prevent more serious injuries, Amnesty International estimates that 334 people have died in the United States since June of 2001 from being tasered.The conventional wisdom promoted by police and accepted in nearly all corners is that "tasing" someone is not harmful, the only effect on the victim being temporary physical paralysis-- emphasis on the 'temporary.' A news item out of Des Moines today tells a different story. (What a banner year for police in Polk County.)
Early Monday, Polk County Sheriff's officers answered the call of a man on a cell phone who was threatening suicide-- 21-year-old Justin Schleuning of Urbandale. Sheriff's deputies wound up shooting Schleuning with what one of the officers called a "less-than-lethal" round of so-called 'bean bag' projectiles-- ammunition supposedly meant to stun, but not to kill. Schleuning died at Mercy Medical Center this morning, some 30 hours after the assault.
We have a law enforcement problem in this country. Cops have been empowered to thuggery during the last decade by a Bush/Obama Justice Department that commits torture behind deceit and moral depravity, and spies without having to show cause.
Two hours east of here, in Cedar Rapids, the police department has been cracking down of late on every perceived social threat in the city from broken glass to jaywalking (but only in certain neighborhoods, of course). Civilian indifference to their aggressive, often instigating tactics is so widespread, they openly promote them in the local newspaper. Several years ago, the city spent scarce budget dollars on the purchase of a helicopter that flies over depressed neighborhoods during the middle of the fucking night, waking the locals and expecting to see God-knows-what in the dark.
On "Hill Street Blues," the Lieutenant Howard Hunter character, played by James B. Sikking, was always lobbying his commander for more weaponry and more firepower for the street. His character was drawn to be a punchline, not a business model. Everyone is considered suspect now. Every conflict is being escalated. Many incidents of police violence come with provocation, of course, but where's the perspective and who's being paid to be the adults here?
posted by CM @ 4:33 PM
5 Comments:
That's pretty bold. Passing judgment on an entire profession because of a few bad incidents. Especially a profession designed to keep people safe. Ok, so maybe 0.5% of the time they screw up and step over the lines with their power. And yes, those instances should be investigated and used as a learning process to improve procedures and if necessary, make changes to their "toys". But, in our criticism, let's not forget to thank them for the other 99.5% of the time when they make the right decisions, sometimes in life-threatening situations that you and I will never experience.
That Bonds guy didn’t cooperate with the commands of the police. That’s what you get when you don’t cooperate with the people who are charged with enforcing the laws of the land. The government agents didn’t take his life, but now they’re coming after his freedom. If he keeps his freedom he’ll probably loose all his money to the lawyers.
The number one cause of premature death throughout human history is government. We should all remember these stories the next time we start to desire more government regulation or law enforcement.
Today’s Howard Hunters are those pushing for the government to regulate the gallons per flush of my toilet.
TA
TA- I agree with you as far as the danger that comes when too much government power is given to law enforcement, but didn't another area of government regulation help to hold those officers responsible?. The two involved in the Bonds arrest were forced to resign yesterday by a department panel.
I do not look for the solutions to problems with government to come from the very same government that causes the problems in the first place. The solution to bad government will not be found by giving more power to the government. We have to break that cycle or we will eventually loose what little is left of our liberty.
Take away from the police some of the legal reasons they have to pull people over. Bond’s car should never have been pulled over in the first place. Bond’s car got pulled over because it didn’t yield to a police car that was on an emergency call? What kind of a cop ignores an emergency call to pull over a car that didn’t yield. Must not have been a very important emergency. The vast majority of cops patrolling the streets can be replaced with existing technology to stop speeding, running red lights, etc.
Audit the Fed!
TA
Agreed on paragraph one to the end that I would have preferred a citizen-led investigation of the police in this case, rather than a panel of the officers' superiors.
To paragraph two, I'd advocate going even further. I'm no fan of video cameras to police streets, but why not simply do away with many of the traffic laws altogether?
There's a school of academic study arguing today that roads with the most rules are actually the least safe. Informally, it's the sidewalk theory. Lack of regulation makes sidewalks safe for walking because that lack creates a sense of personal responsibility in the walkers. What additional motivation do people need beyond their own personal safety?
I don't know how to create a web link in the comment box so I'll blog about it in the near future.
Post a Comment
<< Home