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PC Tasered amputee, 92, in wheelchair, court hears

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Real blank

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PC Tasered St Leonards amputee, 92, in wheelchair, court hears - BBC News

Donald Burgess, who had one leg and was in poor health, was also pepper sprayed in his care home.
www.bbc.co.uk

Video in link

A 92-year-old care home resident in a wheelchair was sprayed in the face with synthetic pepper spray before being Tasered and hit with a baton by police officers, a jury has been told.
PC Stephen Smith emptied almost a full can of pepper spray into Donald Burgess's face when he refused to drop an item of cutlery similar to a butter knife, Southwark Crown Court heard.


Whilst the knife looks worse than a butter knife the lack of patience by the officers is astounding.
 
Judgement regarding a man with a knife.
 
I've said it before: Whatever method we're using to screen police officer candidates is a failure.
 
Real blank said:
Whilst the knife looks worse than a butter knife the lack of patience by the officers is astounding.
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On the face of it, there are certainly questions to be answered (which will be why it's got to court), but it is worth noting that this report is only covering the prosecution statements (as so often happens with reporting on this kind of case) and the video clip provided only shows 30 seconds or what would have been a much longer situation.

The court here will get to hear all of the evidence and I think the British Crown Courts can generally be relied on to get to the correct verdict in the end.
 
stevecanuck said:
Anyone who can't easily disarm a 92-year-old, wheelchair-bound amputee has NO business being a police officer.
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And they just may get stabbed. Ever take a knife off somebody? They had a gun on the guy and he didn't give up the gun. When you take a knife off somebody, then you can complain about how it was handled. Until then, it's a guy with a knife who is refusing to give it up. Wouldn't be the first cop that died, trying to do the "right" thing according to the public's opinion.
 
Yes juries always make the right decisions
 
The care home staff moved him from the kitchen to his bedroom before the police arrived.
 

Give me a hockey glove and several blankets to throw over the guy and I will disarm an old, wheelchair bound amputee every time.
 
It was a ****ing butter knife.
It won’t pierce a Kevlar vest.
Won’t cut a hand either.
**** those cops.
What a stupid ****ing post.
 
Real blank said:
Yes juries always make the right decisions
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Sure, but what alternative are you suggesting? No system is perfect but the one we have here is pretty solid.
 
Integrityrespec said:
And they just may get stabbed. Ever take a knife off somebody?
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More than once.
Integrityrespec said:
They had a gun on the guy and he didn't give up the gun. When you take a knife off somebody, then you can complain about how it was handled.
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Thanks! I will.
Integrityrespec said:
Until then, it's a guy with a knife who is refusing to give it up. Wouldn't be the first cop that died, trying to do the "right" thing according to the public's opinion.
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ROFLMAO

92, in a wheelchair, only one leg. I could have taken a claymore from him.
 
From the article...


I'm guessing that Mr. Burgess may have some level of cognitive impairment. Care staff are aware that may result in unpredictable and even violent behavior. So his behavior wouldn't be unexpected although a knife certainly increases the risk.

The method police should have used to deal with this would be calmly talking to him. He was contained in a room where he couldn't harm other residents or staff. If he got aggressive toward officers they could simply close the door and continue talking from the other side.

An agitated person with cognitive impairment can be hard to reason with because logic isn't always going to be effective. But they can be distracted and given enough time they may calm down on their own.

An aggressive approach certainly won't work, and didn't in this case.
 
SMTA said:
It was a ****ing butter knife.
It won’t pierce a Kevlar vest.
Won’t cut a hand either.
**** those cops.
What a stupid ****ing post.
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Sometimes saying "what a stupid ****ing post" is an unnecessary observation about some posters....
 
stevecanuck said:
Anyone who can't easily disarm a 92-year-old, wheelchair-bound amputee has NO business being a police officer.
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Cops are terrified of absolutely everything and everyone.

And right wingers always line up to lick the boots anyway.
 
The level of violence some people accept from the police is just amazing.
If you can't avoid being stabbed by a 92 year old in a wheelchair then you don't deserve to be an officer.

I'm 49 and not particularly fit and I can't think of any reason why I'd be in any sort of danger and I don't have weapons or a bullet proof vest.
The US is basically a police state and you have people cheering on the most violent police.
 

Seriously... they could have just waited about 20 minutes until the old fella fell asleep... what clowns.


.
 

Most people never have to encounter or deal with cops in the USA... police state? LOL


/
 
Wow.

Just.....

wow.
 
Bodi said:
Most people never have to encounter or deal with cops in the USA... police state? LOL


/
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The problem is when people do interact with them and are treated like absolute shit by the police.
 
Peter said:
The problem is when people do interact with them and are treated like absolute shit by the police.
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I agree with that. I was pulled over three times and dealt with cops another few times and every time they were assholes... one time the lady cop threatened to loose her dog on me because I started walking down the wrong street because my friends and I misunderstood the conflicting instructions by the police. Flippin ridiculous.

Compare that to getting pulled over here in New Zealand and when the first cop asked me where I was coming from I said "seeing To Gun Maverick" and a second cop jumped in so excited about whether it was good or not and the three of us chatted about Top Gun for a few minutes, laughing and having a nice conversation. They were polite as hell.

Anyway... just a comparison.
 
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