Link.
Clearly we need to define our terms. I have a Rottweiler who can demolish a cow bone in nothing flat. If her bite is 320 lbs, and mine is 60,000 lbs, why can’t I do the same?
I don’t see any reason to continue this, as it is obvious that we don’t agree. I don’t and will never have children, but I am glad the majority of people don’t agree with your ideas concerning the protection of children. They have plenty of time to get hurt or get themselves in trouble once they turn 18; I see no pressing need to let them start the process any earlier.
That’s not comparable because a bug is not eliciting a reflex to pain, for Christ’s sake. Scary bug crawling on my arm doesn’t kick in the sensory motor pathways that a bite or burn to the hand does.
Ask any veterinarian or animal technician who handles animals for a living. How many of them have been bit while restraining a beastie? How many have responded by punching said beastie in the face? How many would be out of a job for doing such a thing, especially in front of a client? If a vet or tech can find a way to hold back those “reflexes” when dealing with fractious animals on a regular basis, surely a cop can do the same thing with a teenager who looks like a black Olive Oyl.
I don’t think the cop deserves to be taken to the woodshed for this, but I do object to what seems like “he couldn’t help it” defense displayed in this thread. It’s absurd and pathetically overboard, as is the “human bites cause diseases!” and “the human mouth can exert 10,000 lbs of pressure!” defenses. Can’t we all agree that the cop lost his cool by punching the girl like that? Period. That seems real obvious to me. Was his reaction understandable? Yes. Wrong? Yes to that too. If punching a struggling dog or cat for biting me is liable to get me in trouble as a vet, I’m thinking a law enforcer should be held to the same standard, if not greater. Since he’s dealing with humans and all.
An action being taken without thought doesn’t make it 1) a reflex or 2) excusable. Write that down. Many a person has killed someone else with “little or no conscious thought”. Where are they? In prison.
For me, it triggers a “get rid of offensive thing” instinct. Looks to me like that’s the same thing that happened with the cop.
Perhaps not, but it’s an important factor to consider. For example, most people would agree that the kid in that video should not be charged with assault. On the other hand, if he had waited 2 seconds and then delivered the same punch, it would be different.
Please think about this. “Get rid of offensive thing” would mean him withdrawing and maybe even letting her go. Not standing there holding her down with one hand, punching her with the other. If he was really acting out in reflex, his animal brain would have overruled his human one and he would stopped restraining her. That’s what happens to most people bitten by animals that they are doing a poor job of restraining (as he was).
Not really. What might not be enough to get him charged with assault still could get him fired, suspended, or severly reprimanded. I expect cops to be able to hold themselves back a little better than he did.
That’s the difference between law enforcement and doctors. Have you ever watched Animal Cops and how they subdue agitated and potentially violent animals? You want 15 year old girls treated like that? Animals who bite are really good candidates for being put down, possibly shot right there on the spot.
What do doctors do when dealing with an uncooperative potentially violent patient? They strap them down, possibly sedate them and order a psych eval.
I don’t think we really want cops treating 15 year old curfew breakers as animals or violent patients.
No that’s actually not true in the least. Have you ever wrestled anyone? You don’t think about what you’re doing. You react. If someone bites me I’m likely to punch them in the snoot. And I won’t hold back like this cop definitely did. If you wouldn’t lash out at something biting you, you don’t have very good reflexes.
Have you ever worked in an animal hospital. Like, in the real world? Like me?
An animal who bites under duress (like, when they are being restrained against their will) is an everyday occurence, and euthanasia is not a consideration for them. You don’t know what the hell you’re talking about if you think euthanasia and being shot on the spot belongs in this discussion.
Had this cop continued to struggle with this kid to get her cuffed it probably would have resulted in a broken wrist to her at least, or a broken arm at worst. I wonder what the posters here would say then?
It is amazing the standard to which police are held. It is truly a damned if you dont, damned if you do job. IMO he did the one thing he could to subdue her with as little risk of injury to himself or the child.
The girl was an idiot at 15. I dont imagine had she been 21, she would have been any smarter but I doubt people would care as much.
On the she is a child / no she is not a child she should have the same rights as an adult / no she should not debate, I have to say this. From a physical standpoint a 15 year old is mostly if not completely an adult. What is not adult yet is the decision making and judgment parts of their brain. I have heard teenagers described as being all nerve endings and hormones. For those of us that are adults (over say 25), think back. Did you do any stupid things that in retrospect amazes at your own stupidity? I know I did, and when I look back at those incidents all I can think of is :smack: and I say WTF were you thinking Rick?
This is the reason that we don’t let 10 year olds drive cars or buy guns.
Anyone who disagrees with this IMHO is either still under 25, has never raised kids, or has an industrial strength pair of rose colored glasses.
I think he’s talking about grabbing a feral dog off the street. If it’s snarling and got a case of the dog-crazies it’s different than taking a fecal swab of Mr. Mittens at the clinic.
It might mean that, but it might not. For example, I react differently to a bug if I’m driving a car. Even though there is not much thought involved, I know down to the core that I can’t take both hands off the wheel.
If you were standing there and noticed a nasty bug on yourself, you might brush it off with both hands. But if you had a cup of hot liquid in one hand, you might use only 1 hand.
Let’s break it down:
Do you think the kid in the video should have been charged or, assuming the event took place in his school, disciplined?
One of the things I most regret is my reaction when my dog bite me several years ago. I was trying to take away a bone, he bite and I punched him right in the snout. It was instantaneous and shocked both of us.
I think you are mistaken thinking your reaction is the only normal one.
Pay attention. You’re drawing an analogy between law enforcement and doctors. Apples and oranges. I’m comparing people enforcement and animal enforcement. That’s closer, and you don’t want people getting treated like animals.
Pay attention please. Law enforcement vs. doctors at the vet. A large dog who manages to sink his teeth into an animal control officer is likely to get shot. If not, it’s still quite likely to be euthanized later, if it can’t pass the adoptability tests, or it’s got rabies, whatever. A veterinarian working on a scared animal in a clinic would be stupid to not already have a muzzle on it and if he or she were that stupid and got bit, no, the animal wouldn’t be euthanized automatically in that case.