# Texas Cop Tasers Granny **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [June 11, 2009, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/texas-cop-tasers-granny/499417 "2009-06-11T04:23:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 15
**Author:** ![ivan\_astikov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@ivan\_astikov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivan_astikov)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2009, 9:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/texas-cop-tasers-granny/499417/281 "2009-06-14T09:00:04Z")
He’s not going to get disciplined, for all of the reasons outlined by those in support of the cop’s actions upthread, but if he isn’t laughed into resignation by the rest of his squad, this is just another example of LEO’s abusing the power of their badge and the blue line forming a circle of defense. Only the lowest of criminals would rob a defenceless 72 yr old woman; only the lowest of cops would taser one. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2009, 9:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/texas-cop-tasers-granny/499417/282 "2009-06-14T09:49:26Z")
> [@ivan\_astikov](#): > > He’s not going to get disciplined, for all of the reasons outlined by those in support of the cop’s actions upthread, but if he isn’t laughed into resignation by the rest of his squad, . More than likely they’ll tease him for tasing a transgendered person. ---
**Author:** ![ivan\_astikov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@ivan\_astikov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivan_astikov)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2009, 9:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/texas-cop-tasers-granny/499417/283 "2009-06-14T09:55:35Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > More than likely they’ll tease him for tasing a transgendered person. Yes, because it’s not embarrassing enough, to have felt threatened by a 72 yr old who didn’t even have a weapon. Still, s/he could have been a ninja black belt too. You can never be too safe. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2009, 10:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/texas-cop-tasers-granny/499417/284 "2009-06-14T10:14:46Z")
> [@ivan\_astikov](#): > > Yes, because it’s not embarrassing enough, to have felt threatened by a 72 yr old who didn’t even have a weapon. Still, s/he could have been a ninja black belt too. You can never be too safe. I’m sure they just serve them tea in England. ---
**Author:** ![ivan\_astikov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@ivan\_astikov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivan_astikov)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2009, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/texas-cop-tasers-granny/499417/285 "2009-06-14T12:13:50Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > I’m sure they just serve them tea in England. 72 yr old traffic offenders? Probably, with some nice digestive biscuits thrown in. I think if we heard around here that a local bobby had tasered an old dear, we’d see the local plod shop ransacked within a couple of hours, and I’d be laughing my bollocks off. ---
**Author:** ![Ca3799](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9f8e36/32.png) [@Ca3799](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ca3799)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2009, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/texas-cop-tasers-granny/499417/286 "2009-06-14T12:21:19Z")
Look at the white road stripe in the video. I’m familiar with Hwy 71 and it is very busy and quite hilly in some stretches. The officer was trying to protect himself (and her) by yelling “Step back”. At a couple of points, the officer is standing on the white line. The shove was to move both of them away from traffic. She’s already been argumentative and agressive and is now putting both of their lives in danger by standing too close to the traffic. I support the actions of the cop. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2009, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/texas-cop-tasers-granny/499417/287 "2009-06-14T12:28:35Z")
> [@Cisco](#): > > This was never a “prove X to me and I’ll agree to Y” discussion. I was dead set on one side of this from the start and don’t believe I ever gave any indication that I was going to change my mind. I don’t think anything short of proving granny had a knife drawn would convince me that this was not excessive use of force. Like I said, it’s not legal vs. illegal to me, it’s right vs. wrong. And this, boys and girls, is why real complaints about police brutality get dismissed out of hand. See the video, jerk the knee, I don’t care what the facts are - the police are always wrong. _:shrugs:_ Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![ivan\_astikov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@ivan\_astikov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivan_astikov)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2009, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/texas-cop-tasers-granny/499417/288 "2009-06-14T12:33:00Z")
> [@Ca3799](#): > > Look at the white road stripe in the video. I’m familiar with Hwy 71 and it is very busy and quite hilly in some stretches. The officer was trying to protect himself (and her) by yelling “Step back”. At a couple of points, the officer is standing on the white line. The shove was to move both of them away from traffic. She’s already been argumentative and agressive and is now putting both of their lives in danger by standing too close to the traffic. I support the actions of the cop. So why had the cop got her out of the car in the first place? Is that SOP on a busy highway, when dealing with an elderly woman? I hope she was at least doing double the speed limit when he pulled her over, to justify these actions. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2009, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/texas-cop-tasers-granny/499417/289 "2009-06-14T13:28:30Z")
> [@Cisco](#): > > That’s practically an oxymoron. I reference to yelling, no that is NOT true. For your average joe interacting with another average stranger joe, yeah, if they are yelling or cussing (if then normally dont), then they probably are not calm. For cops and probably some other jobs as well, I am pretty sure yelling is a tool they are taught to use that isnt neccessarily tied to not being calm. ---
**Author:** ![Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brown_eyed_girl/32/3574_2.png) [@Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brown_Eyed_Girl)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2009, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/texas-cop-tasers-granny/499417/290 "2009-06-14T14:05:47Z")
> [@ivan\_astikov](#): > > So why had the cop got her out of the car in the first place? Is that SOP on a busy highway, when dealing with an elderly woman? I hope she was at least doing double the speed limit when he pulled her over, to justify these actions. It’s already been mentioned several times, but you seem to be slow to catch up. She was asked to step out of the truck because she was being arrested. Can’t place the old biddy under arrest until she’s out of the vehicle. I’m sure he would have much preferred that she sign the damn ticket so they could both be on their way without incident, but she chose the arrest over promising to appear in court at a later date. She didn’t need to be going double the speed limit to justify the arrest as she \*asked \*for the arrest when she chose to refuse to sign the ticket in accordance with the law. See, it was her choice from the moment she was pulled over. As for changing her mind once she was out of the vehicle, sorry, bub, you don’t get a second chance at everything in life. If you haven’t learned in 72 years to comply with the lawful orders of a cop, well, the law will certainly help you understand the consequences of such. ---
**Author:** ![Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brown_eyed_girl/32/3574_2.png) [@Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brown_Eyed_Girl)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2009, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/texas-cop-tasers-granny/499417/291 "2009-06-14T14:19:21Z")
> [@ivan\_astikov](#): > > He’s not going to get disciplined, for all of the reasons outlined by those in support of the cop’s actions upthread, but if he isn’t laughed into resignation by the rest of his squad, this is just another example of LEO’s abusing the power of their badge and the blue line forming a circle of defense. > > Only the lowest of criminals would rob a defenceless 72 yr old woman; only the lowest of cops would taser one. Yes, because despite the fact that level-headed civilians will tell you that there’s no evidence in the video of impropriety in the cop’s arrest and use of taser here, as long as your knee has jerked, the police are circling the wagons to protect him. By your estimation, it seems, a 72 year old woman should have the law applied differently to her than is applied to everyone else. She seemed to think so as well. I think we can all see the folly in that. The fact that you don’t realize that police aren’t going to laugh at any cop that has deal with some belligerent fool resisting arrest just goes to show how out of touch you are with the wide acceptance of the taser as a law enforcement tool that allows the officers to do their job doesn’t put them at unnecessary risk. I seem to recall reading that there are over 14,000 law enforcement agencies currently using tasers. Cops seem to prefer having them. ---
**Author:** ![ivan\_astikov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@ivan\_astikov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivan_astikov)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2009, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/texas-cop-tasers-granny/499417/292 "2009-06-14T15:28:01Z")
Perhaps they do, but the older you get, the less reliable your heart gets, and I’ve seen big, healthy looking men drop like a sack of bricks after being zapped with a taser. Did he know she didn’t have a heart problem? And I’ve yet to see the necessary risk he faced, to qualify him pulling out his taser. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2009, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/texas-cop-tasers-granny/499417/293 "2009-06-14T15:49:15Z")
Maybe the necessary risk was to his authority. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2009, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/texas-cop-tasers-granny/499417/294 "2009-06-14T16:50:10Z")
> [@Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](#): > > I thought I was clear on the reason. It seems like whenever this discussion comes up it’s always about what the cop did wrong and what an egotistical pussy he is and less about the fact that generally the suspect is displaying a great deal of resistance and lack of cooperation to an officer’s lawful orders. > > It seems to me that, for some people, there’s never going to be an instance of justified taser usage, so it doesn’t really matter if they think the cop was a dick for using it. They always are. > > Now, I could be wrong. I could very well be pegging you all wrong. I’m just curious as to whether you are anti-taser altogether, or if the link I posted above seemed reasonable to you. If the latter is true, I can and do apologize to you for assuming the former. But I already told you I feel tasering is ok in a lot of cases. This (angry granny) was not one of them. > [@Shodan](#): > > And this, boys and girls, is why real complaints about police brutality get dismissed out of hand. See the video, jerk the knee, I don’t care what the facts are - the police are always wrong. > > _:shrugs:_ > > Regards, > Shodan Bzzt. Wrong. I’m generally pretty supportive of the police. Wrong is wrong, it’s not a “cop hater” thing. I don’t pick my feelings and beliefs out of a “conservative” or “liberal” or “pro-” or "anti-"whatever hat. ---
**Author:** ![ivan\_astikov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@ivan\_astikov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivan_astikov)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2009, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/texas-cop-tasers-granny/499417/295 "2009-06-14T19:40:22Z")
> [@Beware\_of\_Doug](#): > > Maybe the necessary risk was to his authority. For the incident in question, if he’d had the choice between letting her go on her way after taking her registration number, and warning her she would be getting a summons, or insisting she got out of her car and then tasering her because she got a bit ratty, which one would a decent police officer do? ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2009, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/texas-cop-tasers-granny/499417/296 "2009-06-14T20:36:00Z")
> [@Cisco](#): > > But I already told you I feel tasering is ok in a lot of cases. This (angry granny) was not one of them. > . Fine. Walk us through the steps needed to handcuff an unwilling person without using a taser. ---
**Author:** ![Sleeps\_With\_Butterflies](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@Sleeps\_With\_Butterflies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sleeps_With_Butterflies)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2009, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/texas-cop-tasers-granny/499417/297 "2009-06-14T20:44:23Z")
Granny seems like a belligerent bitch who decided to not cooperate. Who cares if she’s a grandmother or a great-grandmother? When you’re caught speeding as she clearly was you sign the ticket. It isn’t admission of guilt so sign the stupid ticket. None of this would have happened if she’d have simply signed it. Instead she CHOOSES to swear, argue, bitch, put herself and the officer in danger, declare that she’s leaving, resist arrest, and dare the officer to taze her instead of just doing what she was supposed to do. ---
**Author:** ![Hunter\_Hawk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/50afbb/32.png) [@Hunter\_Hawk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hunter_Hawk)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2009, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/texas-cop-tasers-granny/499417/298 "2009-06-14T20:48:19Z")
> [@Cisco](#): > > Shoving is an aggressive maneuver meant to bully and intimidate and it serves absolutely no other purpose. It’s even illegal in “no holds barred” cagefighting for this reason. Do you have a cite for this? I just looked at the rules for UFC and Pride FC, for example, and didn’t see anything that spoke about this. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2009, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/texas-cop-tasers-granny/499417/299 "2009-06-14T20:50:47Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > Fine. Walk us through the steps needed to handcuff an unwilling person without using a taser. You do know tasers are relatively new devices.?They were arresting people before they could shock them . He should not have told her to get out of the truck. The dream sequence some describe, that he was trying to save her from traffic is absurd. She was sitting in the truck until he decided to make a big deal out of her not being properly awed by his authority. He should have never arrested her at all. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2009, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/texas-cop-tasers-granny/499417/300 "2009-06-14T20:50:54Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > Fine. Walk us through the steps needed to handcuff an unwilling person without using a taser. Step 1. De-escalate the situation verbally Step 2. Calmly explain why angry granny needs to sign the ticket Step 3. Tell AG to have a nice day, even if she’s still doing her Crazy Cat Lady gargle Step 4. Get back in your cruiser with your signed ticket and leave Ok, scenario 2: she’s already out of her car. You screwed up by not being a mature adult authority figure and de-escalating the situation from the start, but you still have a chance to make this very very easy. Step 1. She says “give me the ticket and I’ll sign it” Step 2. Hand her the ticket and let her sign it Step 3. Get back in your cruiser with your signed ticket and leave When a kid pitches a fit, you don’t pitch a fit back. The whole video looks like the old cartoons where one would pull a gun, the other would pull a bigger gun, the first would pull an even bigger gun . . . eventually it zooms out to the moon and they’re pulling guns half the size of the Earth. It’s the responsibility of an authority figure not to allow this to happen. He stooped to her level and played her games and could’ve killed her in the process. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/texas-cop-tasers-granny/499417.md?page=14) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/texas-cop-tasers-granny/499417.md?page=16)