Tasered and shot with a beanbag gun for videotaping warrantless police search
A man is suing police in Portland because they tasered him and shot him with a beanbag while he was videotaping their search of his neighbor's house.
LinkFrank Waterhouse of Oregon is suing Portland police after he was tasered and shot with a beanbag gun. His offense? Videotaping a warrantless police search on a friend's property. The police report helpfully explains that the force used on Waterhouse (who was standing far off on the edge of the property) was necessary because, "He had refused to drop the camera which could be used as a weapon."
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well yeah, it is a weapon against police officers participating in a warrantless police search.
here's some more cops that should be stripped of their jobs and never be allowed to work in law enforcement again.
I like cops. I almost became one, and i know a lot of good ones. And because its important we have good cops we respect, bad ones like this should be tossed out on their asses and blacklisted for life.
Let's see how far this one goes.
Police are way too quick on the trigger with these tasers lately. While in many cases the majority of the debate is on whether or not the 'suspect' was doing anything unlawful in the first place, I think the major issue is the thoughtless use of these tasers by cops. From what I remember, tasers are not classified as a non-lethal weapon, but as a LESS-lethal weapon. Same goes for rubber bullets and beanbag shotguns. I thought police were suppose to be trained to use these only in a situation where they would also feel it appropriate to use a real gun.
What can be done about it? Can police officers be coerced into more appropraite behavior? Can we, the general public, affect this change, and how?
First thing to understand -- being a cop means you have to know how to lie as part of the job.
Portland police are getting more bold by the day with their "non-lethal" weapon use.
Almost every week we hear about some disgusting abuse of power to commit violence against a citizen of our city.
I know for a fact that police work is not easy and they deal with a lot of dregs of society.
BUT! this is becoming a regular occurrence. Recently a sheriff's deputy (I know sheriffs are not municipal) boasting on a COH bulletin-board about shattering a prisoners eye-socket, and having the prisoner agree to all charges to get away from the deputy.
All you have to to is google: "Portland Police brutality"
To get a good idea how an encounter is going to turn out.
I was told by a Portland police thug, that I: "needed to give him a good reason not to pull me out of my car and beat the fuck out of me in the middle of the street" ..... After not understanding the way they had flares set up at a wreck at an intersection.
I completely complied with all of his direction, did not give him attitude, and spoke in a respectful manner (i.e. "Sir")
Police abuses are getting bolder and more frequent by the day.
It's just gonna go on and on. The brothers in blue are stronger than yew. And Yes, the video camera is a weapon, because it may contain evidence against a police officer. That's threatening an officer of the law with a possible 2 day suspension. Silly citizen, unemployment due to gross misconduct is for the private sector. Ask your PBA rep if a paid vacation is right for you. (It always is, unless you were caught on tape. Maybe.)
Small scandal a while back in MA. Police cadets were dying at a greater percentage from over-exertion than army cadets. And they wonder what is wrong with the picture.
Also, prospective officers are refused entry into the force when their test scores are too high.
And, about 15 years ago there was a story about vehicular homicide involving cruisers, but the story was hushed up quickly...
"Don't tase me, bro!"
A tribal mentality is normal and healthy; the notion that outsiders do not warrant community standard treatment is healthy. To be most sane about it, alter who is an insider and who is an outsider.
Psychopaths and murderers are outsiders. People of other races, backgrounds, sexual orientation are not. Who is within our tribe is the issue, not the fact that we discriminate.
Cops are ill equipped to see the community as other than "civilians". To change that, we need more group hugs and other group bonding acts. Maybe cops and civilians should give each other haircuts and foot rubs.
Well, you know, rocks can also be used as weapons. Also, hands could be used as weapons and in some places with certain people, like boxers, they are registered as such.
Police have lost their edge, man. Obviously, we're the ones in power now, seeing how they're fearing us irrationaly.
@ Cpt. Tim:
Do your "good cop" friends know any bad cops?
Yes?
Well they have then, of course, turned them in and sought prosecution for their law breaking ways, right?
No?
Oh...
Sorry to break this to you, but... You don't know any good cops.
Because they don't exist.
Okay, I give up. What's a beanbag gun? Google has lots of references to police using them, but I can't find anything explaining what it actually is.
it's a shotgun that shoots small beanbags. basically incapacitating you
Each passing day, more and more of our liberties are dying in the streets. Now they are moving into our homes.
Paul Revere--nay, all the founding fathers--must be spinning in their graves.
"Develop a thug caste."
Step 3 of 10 for Naomi Wolf's fascism.
Check.
Sad to say, this is pretty standard police procedure in this country, and there's damn little a citizen can do to protect him or her self. Years ago in Berkeley, I stopped my car and hopped out to photograph (from quite a respectful distance) two cops who were rousting a young man hitchhiking. My camera was grabbed and smashed, I was slammed against a car and kicked and punched by 4 or 5 policemen, and then arrested for assaulting an officer. My beating attracted a small crowd on the busy street, at least three of whom were also arrested, though they did nothing but stand and watch. One of them had simply been walking to work -- he hadn't even stopped -- and was very angry. He was taken into an interrogation room and beaten severely (he was dumped into the same cell with me later). The resolution of my case? A friend represented me for free, and I got the charges dropped -- in exchange for an extorted agreement with the DA not to sue.
@Kyle Armbruster. my sister (a cop) got the chief of police at her department fired for unethical behavior. It almost lost her, her job and she was a single mother of 3 at the time... fuck you i guess.
>The resolution of my case? A friend represented me for free, and I got the charges dropped -- in exchange for an extorted agreement with the DA not to sue.
That's a shame. I wish you could have pursued a lawsuit. Every time charges are dropped in exchange for not suing or making the issue grotesquely public, they get to sweep one more incident under the rug and nothing changes. The community at large never hears that multiple cops were acting like thugs, the cops themselves retain clean records that permits them to get off the hook much easier when someone down the line does press the issue, and the city gets to continue defending the actions of their police force because, if it were really so bad, wouldn't they be getting sued more often?
The whole idea of the government agreeing not to proceed with bullshit charges in exchange for not telling anyone about the bullshit, is in itself, bullshit.
dammit. it's too early in the morning to be getting all riled up. I need more coffee.
Ugh. As a longtime resident of Portland, I feel an all-too-familiar sinking feeling in my stomach when I read this. Portland in general is a 'progressive' city, yet the police department is obviously out of control, and has been for a long time. Mark Kroeker was even hired as chief AFTER the L.A. riots! Talk about a WTF moment.
There have been numerous failed efforts to create a civilian review board (one that has actual power) since the police department's own review system essentially always finds the same result: "Nope, those cops who beat/shot/tased/killed the "suspect" did nothing wrong at all!"
I can't think of a single instance when an officer in question was actally disciplined in any substantial way after any incident like this. Disgusting.
I love how the police report (http://www.kgw.com/news/pdf/Waterhouse_complaint.pdf) refers to the homeowner and friends as "hostile tweaker types". And, they state that he was tasered when he was trying to run away, which is clearly not what's going on in the video. I wonder why they didn't grab the camera and destroy the recording?
It should be mentioned though that the police *did* have a right to search the car, as they were chasing somebody apparently hiding under it. No warrant is required for "hot pursuit" searches (http://www.nolo.com/definition.cfm/Term/6211B4F6-20A1-4E39-A95C2F3796EAE33D/alpha/H/ explains it better). IANAL, but from what I remember the use of physical force is greatly restricted in these situations.