Image of Taser use lingers | Denton Record-Chronicle | News for Denton County, Texas
His brother, Travis Baker, 17, remembers all of it. He recalls screaming at Corinth police to stop shocking Blake with a Taser. His mother, Deana, remembers hearing Travis crying on the telephone.
“He was saying, ‘Blake is having a seizure, and they’re hurting him,’” she said.
And in case they should forget Blake’s experience, they have photographs of 12 separate sets of burns from the double posts of a Taser.
Corinth police did not respond to a message asking for comment about the incident. Corinth city attorney Michael Bucek won’t release records because the city expects litigation, he said. He did say there was no internal affairs investigation into the incident.
This appears to have happened in a middle class neighborhood too. This is what professional police departments bring to America. There is no community involvement. The cops are not familiar with anything or anyone in the town.
Found by Eddie.
the kid’s lucky he’s not black
Um, I don’t see anything “professional” about that police department. If anything, they’re in need of a lot more professionalism.
Sad to live in a police State.
Why were the police called? He was tasered for the safety of the emergency personnel. Since he would not comply. It does not matter is he is claustrophobic. Where is his medical alert bracelet? Safety first. Is he taking his seizure medicine? I sure hope that he cannot get a license. That would put everyone in danger. There is not way that the police in most places can know everyone that is in their jurisdiction.
Actually, if he was black, the downtown would probably be on fire.
Actually, if Black people behaved the way fools like BillM thinks they act – in response to police bigotry – there would be damned few downtowns in America left standing.
The police know that. Another reason they don’t change their behavior.
I have never read of a riot following the mistreatment of a white person by the police. And, as the story shows, we know it happens…..
They were just trying to snap him out of it.
#9, So we can say the police was doing him a “Public Service” by providing free electro-shock therapy!
This is the problem with semi-lethal weapons, such as tasers. They are too easy to use.
The best line in the story….
Corinth city attorney Michael Bucek won’t release records because the city expects litigation,…
Do ya think?
It’s Texas, the cops thought the kid was possessed by the devil so they used their holy weapons to zap Satan out of the boy.
Besides, what were you expecting from a town with a Biblical name?
Why not just pass a law that anyone having an epileptic seizure will be controlled by the nearest SWAT team?
Show ’em what real Republicans are made of.
The problem is also with poorly trained EMTs who didn’t listen to the brother when he tried to explain Blake’s condition.
# 12 BillM, absolutly right!
It shows USA (Police state) justice is one way, their way.
Police are given the right to interrogate and lie to people. In a democarcy, for the people by the people, why can people interrogate the police?
# 4 calvin13 is one of the many “anti-democracy sycophants”. Working overtime to excuse and obfuscate obvious Police Brutality.
Only ignorant cops could think a person in seizure is a threat.
Q1: Was Blake running toward the cops?
A1: Unlikely – No
Q2: Did the cops close the distance between Blake and them or did Blake move toward the cops.
A2: Unlikely – No
Q3: Besides flopping around on the ground (especially after being tazed) did Blake significantly move with his feet (more then a foot) from where Blake was at?
A3: No
Q4: Was Blake welding a weapon?
A4: No
Q5: Was Blake in the cops face?
A5; No
Q6: Did Blake respond to the cops commands?
A6: No
Q7: Does anyone respond to cops commands when they are being tazed.
A7: The whole point to tazing someone is to render their body uncontrollable.
They couldn’t find the cattle prod in the trunk.
While this seems to be a clear cut case of police stupidity, I have to ask:
Did JCD get beat up by a Texan when he was younger? That’s the only thing that would explain his intense hatred for Texas.
If I found out I only had a few weeks to live I’d move to Texas because everyday that I was there was like a fucking eternity.
Did JCD get beat up by a Texan when he was younger? That’s the only thing that would explain his intense hatred for Texas.
We’ll add this to the “why do you guys hate America” pile. Same nonsense.
If you know anything about Postictal psychosis it takes anywhere from 2 hours to a week to set in after a seizure. Psychosis comes after the lucid phase in which the patient wouldn’t be combative. Also the incident in question happened almost a year ago. Why are we just hearing about it now.
#20
My point is that JCD seems to have a particular hatred for Texas. When he posts about something from Texas, he wants to make damn sure we know that it happened in Texas. I’m just wondering why that is the case?
Maybe he’s just jealous of Texas. You know, Texas envy…
Police state – no responsibility, no accountability, no limitation = fascist state with trigger happy idiots. Good luck!
Don’t taze me bro.
— Andrew Meyer
The government is the potent omnipresent teacher. For good or ill it teaches the whole people by its example. Crime is contagious. If the government becomes a lawbreaker, it breeds contempt for law; it invites every man to become a law unto himself; it invites anarchy. To declare that the end justifies the means — to declare that the government may commit crimes — would bring terrible retribution.
— Justice Brandeis of the US Supreme Court
All this paranoid talk of a police state is silly. Yes there are ill trained police departments in our country. There are some cops that f*ck up too many times and still keep their job. But going so far as the classify the entire law enforcement community as a police state? Come on.
In reference to this story. I ask the same question as #22 (bobcat) – why are we only hearing about this a year after it happened?
My real concern isn’t about the police – they can claim ignorance to the boy’s condition. They were called to help EMTs with a combative patient who was apparently ODing on some narcotic (according to the EMTs). My concern is for the medical team in the ambulance. Are they not well trained enough consider what the boy’s friend was saying? That he had just had a seizure and becomes combative afterwards? Why, then, did they need to call police? Sounds like incompetent medical personnel.
Don’t think I’m giving the police a free pass here. This line from the article: “shows it was fired 15 times within five or six minutes that day.” is just plain scary. You’d think after the first couple they’d realize it wasn’t working anyway.
So let’s not roll all law enforcement up together and claim their some fascist police state. It’s only a small percentage (very small) but they’re the ones that make the news, so they’re the ones we hear about. Don’t for one minute think the majority of police act in this manner. That would be short sighted and ridiculous.
Let the courts take care of this situation – clearly the department supervisor in question isn’t interested in helping. The officer involved isn’t interested in helping. Deal with them. Don’t blackball everyone else.
Just my two cents.
#20, pedro,
If you wore a hat no one would notice your point.
*
#23, blah,
And your point is? It is funny that no one else has noticed an unfair depiction of Texas. Not like Wisconsin or Florida has endured. Maybe there are just a lot of newsworthy stories worth commenting on coming out of Texas.
#27, Michael,
… clearly the department supervisor in question isn’t interested in helping. The officer involved isn’t interested in helping. Deal with them. Don’t blackball everyone else.
The whole Police Department has closed ranks around the officer, plus the city. When they are ready to say “Hey, we agree, this is excessive force” then they can come off the list of conspirators.
Quote from the linked article: “t is a way to control someone using pain” – ie: TORTURE !!!
“the city expects litigation” – yeah, and a BIG SETTLEMENT FOR THE PLAINTIFF !!!
#29 – “The whole Police Department has closed ranks around the officer, plus the city. When they are ready to say “Hey, we agree, this is excessive force” then they can come off the list of conspirators.”
I agree with you on this statement. I understand colleagues standing up for one another, but it sure would be nice for some of them to step away and say “Yeah, those guys f*cked up.” Of course that would probably mean their jobs, or at least mean being assigned the worst shift in the department.
The whole ‘police state’ line of bull comes from a combination of cowardly, pseudo-transgressive agitators- and ignorant fools.
The first group doesn’t care what a real police state looks and acts like, it just wants to stir up trouble and feel all tingly. About them (NOT to them) I say, ‘Don’t feed the trolls.’ Yes, I know I am feeding the trolls with this post. Do as I say, not as I do!
The second group is clueless and sad. Go read some history, and learn about real police states. Then learn about police procedures in places you probably think are better – say Japan (a particular gem) and the UK and Italy and France.
That said, our police need to understand that as long as they continue to act like a gang themselves (closing ranks even when one of their number is wrong) they will not get the respect they otherwise deserve – and that’s because they DO NOT DESERVE IT. Any officer who covers up for another officer is himself a CRIMINAL. An Accessory after the fact, specifically.