# Woman calls police. They brutalize and arrest her. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [July 22, 2010, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-calls-police-they-brutalize-and-arrest-her/547653 "2010-07-22T23:10:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2010, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-calls-police-they-brutalize-and-arrest-her/547653/1 "2010-07-22T23:10:45Z")
I didn’t expect something like this from YouTube snarker Philip DeFranco. Warning, this may be triggering. [http://phillydtv.tumblr.com/post/834936503/two-us-police-officers-have-repeatedly-tasered-a](http://phillydtv.tumblr.com/post/834936503/two-us-police-officers-have-repeatedly-tasered-a) A 57-year-old woman called the police to report a prowler. The above video is from the second squad car to arrive. We see the first responding officer tasing the woman who called them. The second responding officer then assists his comrade; at one point, when they’re putting her in the car, asking if she’s been maced yet. One was fired & the other resigned, so that’s something. But talk about a chilling effect. We don’t see the woman, but I can make a pretty good educated guess what she looks like. Apparently, in western Georgia, 911 is worse than a joke. [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/oJ-ldcnhsLY/hqdefault.jpg "public enemy - 911 is a joke ( HQ )") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJ-ldcnhsLY) ---
**Author:** ![alice\_in\_wonderland](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alice_in_wonderland/32/176_2.png) [@alice\_in\_wonderland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alice_in_wonderland)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2010, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-calls-police-they-brutalize-and-arrest-her/547653/2 "2010-07-22T23:20:12Z")
WTH?!?!? What possible justification could there be for the way these police reacted? ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2010, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-calls-police-they-brutalize-and-arrest-her/547653/3 "2010-07-22T23:24:46Z")
There’s been another thread about this recently. But I can’t find it. Maybe the discussion was buried in some only peripherally related thread. ---
**Author:** ![Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cc9497/32.png) [@Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capt.Ridley_s_Shooting_Party)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2010, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-calls-police-they-brutalize-and-arrest-her/547653/4 "2010-07-22T23:47:16Z")
It was my thread about Tasers in GD. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2010, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-calls-police-they-brutalize-and-arrest-her/547653/5 "2010-07-23T01:06:56Z")
[Here](http://www.ajc.com/news/2-officers-out-of-568967.html)’s an article about the situation from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Note that per the article the officer who resigned, Ryan Smith, is now working for the Chattahoochee County Sheriff’s office. So despite this incident, another law enforcement agency had no problems hiring him? ---
**Author:** ![marshmallow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@marshmallow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/marshmallow)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2010, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-calls-police-they-brutalize-and-arrest-her/547653/6 "2010-07-23T01:26:51Z")
Well she won’t be doing that anymore, will she? ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2010, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-calls-police-they-brutalize-and-arrest-her/547653/7 "2010-07-23T01:30:04Z")
> [@marshmallow](#): > > Well she won’t be doing that anymore, will she? I presume you mean calling the police for help. ---
**Author:** ![alice\_in\_wonderland](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alice_in_wonderland/32/176_2.png) [@alice\_in\_wonderland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alice_in_wonderland)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2010, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-calls-police-they-brutalize-and-arrest-her/547653/8 "2010-07-23T01:31:33Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > I presume you mean calling the police for help. I believe he meant screaming in pain when being tased. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2010, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-calls-police-they-brutalize-and-arrest-her/547653/9 "2010-07-23T01:41:49Z")
This is exactly how the American public _wants_ tasers to be used. In thread after thread on this board, and in countless discussions in real life, the vast majority of people have said they think it’s just fine for police to cause high levels of pain in order to force compliance (even for seeminlgy minor issues). I steadfastly disagree. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2010, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-calls-police-they-brutalize-and-arrest-her/547653/10 "2010-07-23T01:41:52Z")
Is whimpering ok? ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2010, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-calls-police-they-brutalize-and-arrest-her/547653/11 "2010-07-23T01:44:43Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > This is exactly how the American public _wants_ tasers to be used. > > In thread after thread on this board, and in countless discussions in real life, the vast majority of people have said they think it’s just fine for police to cause high levels of pain in order to force compliance on even the most minor issues. > > I steadfastly disagree. Perhaps some day when medical treatment of trauma injuries has advanced enough, we will be able to retire tasers and just go back to shooting people the old fashioned way. If they’re going to survive it, what’s the dif? ---
**Author:** ![straight\_man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/straight_man/32/3027_2.png) [@straight\_man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/straight_man)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2010, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-calls-police-they-brutalize-and-arrest-her/547653/12 "2010-07-23T01:48:12Z")
There is definitely a bright side in all this —the sheriff was very, very clear that the officers’ behaviour was inexcusable. And they didn’t muck around pretending that nothing was wrong — there was no indication in the article that the PD did anything other than start the process to fire them. IOW, call Ryan Smith and Tim Murphy the nastiest names you can think of (they deserve it), but credit the Richland PD for doing the right thing. ---
**Author:** ![alice\_in\_wonderland](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alice_in_wonderland/32/176_2.png) [@alice\_in\_wonderland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alice_in_wonderland)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2010, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-calls-police-they-brutalize-and-arrest-her/547653/13 "2010-07-23T01:48:55Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > This is exactly how the American public _wants_ tasers to be used. By idiot, slap-happy cops who wind up fired or forced to resign for fucking up? I’m not American, I’ve never been to Georgia, but I really can’t accept that people there want an innocent citizen tortured by twats like the ones in the OP. God, I don’t know this woman, I’ve never met her nor will I, I generally can’t come up with much more than a ‘meh’ when it comes to RO threads and I have to say I’m completely disgusted. I hope she sues and I hope she gets a very hearty payout. ---
**Author:** ![Nobody](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/94ad74/32.png) [@Nobody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nobody)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2010, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-calls-police-they-brutalize-and-arrest-her/547653/14 "2010-07-23T02:04:57Z")
At least they were able to use the dash cam against the officers. While listening to Talk of the Nation a week or two ago about laws making it illegal to record cops ([Link](http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=128387108)) the guest mentioned an incident in Prince George’s County where a journalist was mistreated by cops. There were seven police cars which all had malfunctioning dash cams. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![AWB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bb73d2/32.png) [@AWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AWB)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2010, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-calls-police-they-brutalize-and-arrest-her/547653/15 "2010-07-23T02:29:55Z")
> [@Nobody](#): > > At least they were able to use the dash cam against the officers. > > While listening to Talk of the Nation a week or two ago about laws making it illegal to record cops ([Link](http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=128387108)) the guest mentioned an incident in Prince George’s County where a journalist was mistreated by cops. There were seven police cars which all had malfunctioning dash cams. :rolleyes: Sounds like what would happen in DC-area Maryland. Glad I moved. ---
**Author:** ![Kinthalis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kinthalis/32/16084_2.png) [@Kinthalis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kinthalis)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2010, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-calls-police-they-brutalize-and-arrest-her/547653/16 "2010-07-23T02:41:20Z")
> [@straight\_man](#): > > There is definitely a bright side in all this —the sheriff was very, very clear that the officers’ behaviour was inexcusable. And they didn’t muck around pretending that nothing was wrong — there was no indication in the article that the PD did anything other than start the process to fire them. > > IOW, call Ryan Smith and Tim Murphy the nastiest names you can think of (they deserve it), but credit the Richland PD for doing the right thing. Credit the Police Department for acting as it should? That’s what it’s come to, isn’t it? We’ve become so used to them acting like a bunch of thugs, that when they do the normal, professional thing, we heap praise on them. I gurantee you that if that video would not have made it out, the PD would be singing a different tune. ---
**Author:** ![Icarus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icarus/32/72_2.png) [@Icarus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icarus)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2010, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-calls-police-they-brutalize-and-arrest-her/547653/17 "2010-07-23T02:54:12Z")
> [@Kinthalis](#): > > I gurantee you that if that video would not have made it out, the PD would be singing a different tune. C’mon, who are you going to believe? The police or your lying videotape? ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2010, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-calls-police-they-brutalize-and-arrest-her/547653/18 "2010-07-23T03:21:39Z")
Just out of curiosity on a technical/legal point, did the officer really have any legal grounds to arrest her for not giving him the name of her guest, or was that made up BS? ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2010, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-calls-police-they-brutalize-and-arrest-her/547653/19 "2010-07-23T03:31:22Z")
At least she wasn’t an 87 year old woman in Oregon, cause the cops taser them to death here: [http://www.kptv.com/news/24241121/detail.html](http://www.kptv.com/news/24241121/detail.html) 87 years old with a heart condition and a pacemaker. Of course the police would have been fine with just shooting her too. Because she had a pellet gun. > **[Elderly woman who died from police stun gun had pacemaker, history of heart...](https://www.oregonlive.com/clackamascounty/2010/07/elderly_armed_woman_tasered_by.html)** > > Dr. Larry Lewman, deputy state medical examiner, said an autopsy revealed that Phyllis Owens, 87, suffered from heart disease and had a pacemaker. He said he needed more information to determine whether that played a role in her death. The officer who dared to confront her by stepping out in the open will likely get a medal for bravery. ---
**Author:** ![Lanzy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/74df32/32.png) [@Lanzy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lanzy)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2010, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-calls-police-they-brutalize-and-arrest-her/547653/20 "2010-07-23T04:15:18Z")
Cops, eh? Never surprised by this shit. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-calls-police-they-brutalize-and-arrest-her/547653.md?page=2)