PGHIMC - Pittsburgh Independent Media Center

Local News with Tasers
by Abie Flaxman Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2005 at 11:01 AM
defeat at gmail

Some local papers have words today about the police violence against non-violent demonstrators.

Tribune Review: Tasers to be reviewed

Pittsburgh will scrutinize why city police used Tasers and police dogs to control a crowd of protesters Aug. 20 outside a military recruiting post in Oakland.

Post Gazette: Allegheny County Council takes another look at names on property Web site

The home address of a Pittsburgh police officer who shot an anti-war protester with a Taser stun gun was posted on a local Web site last week, prompting the department to increase security near the officer's property.


WHO'S local Web site? OUR local Web site!

That's not something to be proud of
by Janus Christ Friday, Sep. 02, 2005 at 5:03 PM

"The home address of a Pittsburgh police officer who shot an anti-war protester with a Taser stun gun was posted on a local Web site last week, prompting the department to increase security near the officer's property.
WHO'S local Web site? OUR local Web site!"

That's not something to be proud of.

yes it is
by janso christos Sunday, Sep. 04, 2005 at 1:05 AM

why not? unless you think using tasers on a restrained and unarmed girl is justified. cop torturers are not above the law.

Should Washington PD purchase Tasers?
by Donna Wallach Sunday, Sep. 04, 2005 at 3:48 AM
dbwall@earthlink.net (408) 293-4774 San Jose, CA

The following is an article I saw on the internet published in Observer Reporter newspaper:
http://www.observer-reporter.com/293300625547259.bsp 
 
Washington police mull Taser purchase
BY CHRISTIE CAMPBELL, Staff writer
chriscam@observer-reporter.com

Washington Police Department is investigating the purchase of Taser devices to subdue suspects who fight with a police officer or resist arrest.

Mayor Kenneth Westcott said he was eyeing a possible grant to pay for the Tasers. His interest in the devices was heightened following two incidents last weekend involving police officers fighting with men they were trying to arrest. Witnesses to the arrests Saturday and Sunday claim police used excessive force.

Three police officers and the two suspects sought medical attention as a result of the incidents.

Police Chief John Haddad said the department had been thinking about buying Tasers for some time and the idea was not a reaction to the incidents.

"It is just another means to equip our officers to better do their job. We're always looking at things," he said.

Tasers are gun-like devices that use an electrical charge to temporarily incapacitate a person. The devices are used as a non-lethal, alternate means of subduing a suspect. They cost about $200 each and use cartridges that cost an additional $200. The cartridge provides a one-time electrical charge.

On Sunday, city police provided assistance to state police on Scott Avenue in Canton Township, where 32-year-old Toby McCann was arrested following a short chase.

Family members claim police used excessive force in arresting McCann, but Westcott said McCann ran into a wall and an automobile framing machine as he was running from officers. McCann remains a patient at UPMC-Presbyterian hospital in Pittsburgh with a broken arm and leg, head injuries and facial lacerations.

"He fought three of my officers. It took all three to restrain him," Westcott said.

On Saturday, Troy Lamont Steele of Avella was arrested after he ran from police following a traffic stop at the corner of Franklin and Walnut streets. He allegedly charged a police officer, tried to take his gun and struck him in the face. He then pushed two other officers and fought with them before being subdued. Steele, who faces various charges including three counts of aggravated assault, also received hospital treatment.

Bill Reihner, who lives on Burton Avenue, witnessed police arresting Steele. Reihner said a city police officer had a night stick around Steele's neck while two other officers had him by the legs and were trying to get him down on the ground.

Reihner said Steele was not resisting arrest when an officer hit him four times on the head with a night stick.

"What I witnessed was police brutality. That cop should be suspended from the police force," Reihner said.

Westcott said he met with Dean Ellis, chapter president of the NAACP, about that incident. Westcott said neither he nor Haddad had received a call about either incident. Ellis was out of town and could not be reached for comment Wednesday.

"If you have information you feel that is pertinent, you need to get a hold of us," said Haddad. "No one has officially called and complained on either incident."

Reihner said people are afraid to speak up for fear that police will retaliate against them. But he plans to call on City Council to investigate.

Westcott said statistics provided by the Fraternal Order of Police union shows that use of Tasers reduces injuries to both police officers and suspects by 80 percent.

"It's going to eliminate a lot of injury to the police officers," he said.

Westcott said the Greensburg police department in Westmoreland County recently was able to purchase Tasers through a grant program. He spoke with that city's police chief and mayor to see how Washington could apply for a similar grant.

"Obviously our officers have to be trained on them. But we feel that this is a way to eliminate a lot of the problems with the apprehension of people who want to fight our officers," he said. "You hit them and they're down."

Tasers also are being considered by police departments in Fallowfield and Carroll townships and the boroughs of Charleroi and Donora. Those departments took part in a Taser training session sponsored in March by the Fallowfield Township and the Mon Valley Police Association. END OF ARTICLE

For your information, many cops throughout the USA are suing Taser International because of injuries they sustained while doing demonstrations of the Taser, supposedly to show how "safe" they are. The cops were surrounded by other cops to catch them as they fell and they fell onto padded mats, yet they still sustained injured backs, damage to their hearts and other injuries, which for some ended their careers as cops. Also since 1999 until September 2005, over 140 civilians have died after being shocked by Tasers. It is clear that these weapons are deadly and NOT safe. They have not been tested on humans, so it is not known what effects singular or multiple shocks of 50,000 volts of electricity have on the healthy human body, much less persons with various ailments. Nor have there been tests done on children and women. Nor have any tests been done regarding long term effects.

There are groups throughout the U.S. that are organizing to ban the use of Tasers by law enforcement in their area. Please check the following links for information on Coalition for Justice and Accountability, in San Jose, CA, who have called on the San Jose Police Dept. to stop using Tasers.
Coverage of the CJA Taser press conference at
http://www.indybay.org/news/2005/05/1736763.php

Also At http://www.headcity.com/shock_resistance there is a section called
"What can be done to stop this?" that is designed to be an example for
other communities.

Please organize in your area to PREVENT the cops from purchasing these deadly weapons! An excellent report was published by Amnesty International in November 2004. Although the statistics are way outdated, lots of the information is very pertinent to call for the ban of the Tasers. The name of the report is: Excessive and lethal force? Amnesty International's concerns about deaths and ill-treatment involving police use of tasers. On their website http://www.amnestyusa.org/countries/usa/Taser_report.pdf
or
http://www.amnestyusa.org/countries/usa/document.do?id=1A01E91E134A327080256F190042408D

It is also listed under: AI Index: AMR 51/139/2004

NO it isn't!!
by Janus Christ Monday, Sep. 05, 2005 at 3:30 AM

I meant that it's not right to go posting someone's address like that. Of course it's not right to use that kind of force on someone, posting the officer's address isn't justice, it's vengence.

So in response, I think the next time the Black Bloc instigates something (dunno if they instigated what happened this time but I've seen them do so in the past) I'm going to post the addresses of everyone arrested wherever I see fit. Sound fair?

Well hey
by Samantha Monday, Sep. 05, 2005 at 5:53 PM

Honestly, I would be upset if my name and address appeared on a website. But most of it is public information. But that is besides the point.

The point is that if he does not want his address to be released he should not go run around tasering old ladies because she went down the wrong direction on a one-way street.

It is that simple.

paliberal.blogspot.com

Minor correction
by Janus Christ Monday, Sep. 05, 2005 at 9:44 PM

"The point is that if he does not want his address to be released he should not go run around tasering old ladies because she went down the wrong direction on a one-way street."

Actually, it was a girl in her 20s that was tazered. It was an old lady that was bitten by the police dog. I still think it's chickenshit to go releasing an officers address; what exactly is that suppose to prove?

posting of addresses
by apa Thursday, Sep. 08, 2005 at 11:36 AM

Actually, Janus, lots of local police blotters list the address of everyone who is arrested. My hometown's newspaper runs everyone's address whenever they're arrested.

It's not an uncommon practice. It is public information.

Don't you mean pigshit?
by Fred Nieman Thursday, Sep. 08, 2005 at 12:31 PM

Like the flagsuckers say, "if you aren't doing anything wrong, you have nothing to worry about."
Chickenshit is hiding badge numbers and expecting preferential treatment. Isn't a license to kill privilege enough? What about local control of the drug trade?
Moo-io's name never would have come up if he hadn't rioted, or if he had chosen an honorable profession.

Walking stereotype
by Janus Christ Thursday, Sep. 08, 2005 at 4:31 PM

"or if he had chosen an honorable profession."

So Muoio is guilty of being a cop? If you're gonna stereotype cops as all being the same what's to stop people from stereotyping you?

Again, I was a moron for having sided with ya'll at one time.

takin' sides
by ? Thursday, Sep. 08, 2005 at 4:56 PM

how would you have time to "take sides" when you've spent the past two weeks blathering on the imc comments section

thats been really productive, hasn't it ?

i had no idea you were ever involved in the pittsburgh organzing group

sides
by Janus Christ Thursday, Sep. 08, 2005 at 5:28 PM

I've never been involved in POG, I was a supporter of the black bloc a few years ago in a different city and quit when I realized how counterproductive it was.

confusion
by ....... Friday, Sep. 09, 2005 at 9:19 AM

Janus, black bloc is a TACTIC its not an organization. The blac is everyone and it is no-one (why is this so hard to understand?)

how does one "quit the black bloc"? what did you do, turn in your bandanna?

you can choose to not participate in anything you don't want to for whatever reason. thats your personal choice. as someone who supports pog i just don't understand why you have spent all this time on here trying to belittle good people who have been doing good work in pgh for years

It's all craptacular
by Janus Christ Friday, Sep. 09, 2005 at 10:05 PM

I am well aware that the black bloc is a tactic, it's a tactic that starts more fires than it puts out. Watch Indymedia closely, in the next few days I'm going to put out a fairly long article as to why the black bloc is counterproductive and destrutive to the peace movement.

I'm not trying to "belittle" anyone. Sometimes people need called on their bullshit and if I'm not going to do so, then who will?

better things
by to do Saturday, Sep. 10, 2005 at 4:15 PM

Janus - while you're compiling some sort of jaded black bloc ctitique, once again folks in pittsburgh will be speaking out against the deceptive tactics of military recruiters and providing the area with a strong anti-war message

something to think about.........

just wondering
by .......... Saturday, Sep. 10, 2005 at 4:16 PM

exactly which police department you work for Janus ?

..............
by Janus Christ Sunday, Sep. 11, 2005 at 1:06 AM

"exactly which police department you work for Janus?"

Why would the police give two shits about organizations that don't even support the Second Amendment? They bust your asses not because you're potential terrorists but because you're probably rioters. I don't work for anyone, I already told you that I'm just some average dude that sees through the bullshit and is willing to call people on it.

What kind of name is "......." anyway? Too paranoid to even make up a screen name? My real name is Christopher Allen Ashley by the way, I'm telling you because unlike you all I don't have anything to hide.