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Tony McNulty says British police can use Tasers on children · 459 days ago

From the Daily Mail

Until now, Tasers – which emit a 50,000-volt electric shock – have been used only by specialist officers as a “non lethal” alternative to firearms.
However, they can now be used against all potentially violent offenders even if they are unarmed.
It is the decision not to ban their use against minors that is likely to raise serious concerns.
Home Office Police Minister Tony McNulty said medical assessments had confirmed the risk of death or serious injury from Tasers was “low”.
But he failed to mention Government advisers had also warned of a potential risk to children.

— SWAT Team

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Lorain, Ohio police use Taser on 12 year old child · 719 days ago

I’m digging around for old news about police brutality where officers used Tasers on children, elderly, handicapped, or other defenseless people. Amnesty International has researched and concluded that police are using Tasers routinely to shock people who are mentally disturbed or who simply refuse to obey commands – officers of the law are not using the stun gun as an alternative to drawing a firearm but instead are using it primarily to shock unarmed people involved in petty crimes. They have called for a nationwide ban on the use of these weapons by police, and we here at Police Download Report join them in wishing it were not legal for cops to wield these cruel devices. Over 200 deaths have been attributed to Taser use, with a lot more deaths unreported and undiscovered due to bad autopsy results. We’ll continue to bring you as much coverage of Taser abuse by police officers as we can find.

A 12 year old riding the schoolbus was a victim in 2005:


Police departments use the x26 Taser to shock unruly suspects into submission, but Lorain residents are stunned that an officer used one on a school bus to subdue to 12-year-old boy, reported NewsChannel5.

According to the police report, police were called to remove the boy from the bus after he tried to steal another boy’s CD case.

Police Capt. Russ Cambarare said the boy cussed at the officers and then threatened her.

“Then he made a threat that he was going to kill her, he bucked his head backwards and hit her on the chin and broke one of his arms free,” said Cambarare.

Outside, at the corner of East 30th and Vine, what police are calling an angry mob was pounding on the bus, demanding the officer let the boy go.

In 2004, a lot of opposition to Taser use sprung up from this incident, where police shocked a 6 year old boy:


Police in Miami Dade County say they did the right thing when the used a Taser to subdue a six year-old at school.

The school’s principal called 911 after the child broke a picture frame in her office and waved a piece of glass to keep people away from him.

When two Miami-Dade officers arrived the scene the boy had already cut himself under his eye and cut a large gash in his hand.

The officers tried to reason with the boy, but when he started cutting his own leg, they shocked him with a Taser. They then grabbed him to prevent him from hurting himself when he hit the floor and called an ambulance.

Miami Police say the Taser was necessary to prevent the boy from seriously harming himself with the glass.

Today Governor Jeb Bush told the Associated Press he doesn’t know the circumstances of why adults couldn’t control a six-year-old.

When Jeb Bush is shocked by this kind of abuse, you know it’s serious abuse and not liberal whining.

And here’s a rare case where the cop was actually punished for his abusive use of a Taser. It was so blatant that it couldn’t be ignored:


While the deputy checked her driver’s license, Bledsoe called the Sheriff’s Office back to complain about the deputy’s rude treatment, and the dispatcher said she would send a sergeant.

While Bledsoe was speaking to the dispatcher, Dix attempted to take her cell phone.

Suddenly, according to the suit, Dix let Bledsoe go. She took one step away, and he shot her in the back with the Taser.

According to the computerized log in Dix’s Taser, Bledsoe was hit five times.

Dix then took her to the Escambia County Jail, where she was charged with resisting arrest without violence and disorderly conduct. The State Attorney’s Office dropped the charges on March 15, 2004.

An internal affairs investigation found that Dix had no reason to arrest Bledsoe, which made any use of force against her unnecessary.

The investigation also found that the entire episode likely was recorded on Dix’s in-car video system, but he either lost or destroyed the tape.

— SWAT Team

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Officer Art Lewis performed 'exam' on 14 year old girl · 723 days ago

From local6.com:


A police officer in Longwood, Fla., accused of inappropriately touching a teen girl has been accused of sexual harassment before, Local 6 News has learned.

Officer Art Lews, 37, was arrested this week after a 14-year-old girl claimed he touched her inappropriately.

A report said the girl’s grandparents called police after they suspected the girl had sex with her boyfriend.
Click here to find out more!

When Lewis arrived, he allegedly took the girl into another room and said he needed to perform an “exam” on her, police told Local 6 News.

In 2003, the Altamonte Springs Police Department investigated Lewis after a co-worker claimed he had sexually harassed her but there was not enough evidence to support the claim, according to the report.

“She then stated that he told her to remove her pants,” Longwood police Officer Herb Stewartson said. “And then he performed some type of what you can think of as an exam. It is a shock and completely out of leftfield. Nobody expected this.”

— SWAT Team

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