‘Don’t tase me, sonny … and get off my lawn’

June 11, 2009
By Billy Dennis

I saw an interview with an officer from the area in which this happened. He said granny was tased because the officer was desperately trying to keep the lady from walking out into traffic. No, the lady was attempting to walk back to her truck to get inside. You know, using that same space on the shoulder next to her car that officer had her use when he told her to get out of the car in the first place.

Sorry, folks. This woman wasn’t in danger. The officer wasn’t in danger. I was under the impression that police officers went though training to keep them from using force in this sort of situation. I’ve seen videos of officers remains cool when dealing with far crankier and far more abusive drivers.

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5 Responses to “ ‘Don’t tase me, sonny … and get off my lawn’ ”

  1. nontimendum on June 12, 2009 at 4:56 am

    She blatantly disobeyed the officer’s commands as she resisted arrest. Cry me a river.

  2. Jennifer on June 12, 2009 at 8:15 am

    It’s easy to say in hindsight what it looks like she was doing/going to do, but officers have to work in the moment, and at the time this occurred (in which the woman was already NOT obeying him) how could he really “KNOW” what she was going to do?

    I also think it’s stupid that this story is getting media attention because the woman is 72. Being old gives someone the right not to obey a police officer? It justifies her actions? She shouldn’t have been going 60 in a 45; she shouldn’t have disobeyed; she shouldn’t have “dared” the guy to taser her.

  3. Dave on June 12, 2009 at 12:10 pm

    So let me get this straight if you are doing 15 miles over the speed limit then you have the right to be tazed? Come on people has it ever been done to you? If not I suggest you think again. I was just tazed right outside of my propert this past monday AM. I think the old call for back up is a much smarter idea. In an age where almost anything is considered inhumane to do to a real criminal we have made it too easy to make police brutality ok. It is not ok. I tried to tell the officer that I had medical problems and even tried to have him call my Dr. My wife witnessed the whole account so with him leaving his car down the street he has no video feed to back him.

  4. SD on June 13, 2009 at 4:43 pm

    Well if the officer had tried to manhandle her off to the side of the road he would have been charged with police brutality, so he did what was the best in this situation. Evidently this lady was either cantankerous or has dementia and simply wasn’t going to adhere to his commands. He could have pepper sprayed her and that would have been considerably more painful. So does he taze her, spray her or manhandle her? Some way some how he had to do something to get her to comply with his instructions.

  5. Marie on June 13, 2009 at 5:18 pm

    It’s not like she was committing armed robbery. It’s just a traffic ticket. If the woman refuses to sign, the cop can file it with the court anyway. If she doesn’t show up for the court date, the judge will issue a bench warrant. And on and on.

    How did the police control the public before tasers?