Time to restrain Police arresting druggies?

[LadyLaw]

Originally posted by KRL@Dec 3 2003, 01:06 PM
I've been thinking more on this Ohio case where the guy got pummeled by 6 cops. They obviously knew the guy was strung out on PCP. He was exhibiting all the classic signs of it. They knew he was severly obese and would therefore have health problems. They knew violently trying to pound him into submission would send his body into total stress which could and did trigger his heart attack that he died of as a result.

Maybe its time to require Police in situations like this to show some restraint when arresting strung out people. Like they do now when pursuits become way too risky to continue.

The guy obviously couldn't go anywhere with 6 police there. Why the need to fuck the guy up that much?

Yeh, I know you fuck with the cops and that's what happens. I've said that myself. But now, I really think its time to rethink these types of arrest situations where clearly taking the arrest into intense violence with a wolf pack approach and 6 clubs swinging wildly only risks the cop's lives more as well as the drugged out person's.

I don't think anyone can justify someone's death at the hands of police during an arrest unless they are shooting at the cops.

Dear KRL:

The police are trained to use force equal to the threat they perceive is coming at them. The greater the perceived threat the greater the level of force is justified.

This 350 man attacked an officer and refused to cooperate, and they beat him with batons big time, but not in the head, and with no use of guns.

The big guy's heart gave out from the stress of the beating, his own drug use, and the struggle with police.... and he died. He was denied medical care for at least a couple of minutes (until the ambulance came back) but this probably doesn't rise to the level of "deliberate indifference to serious medical needs".

Like you, I wish the police had been able to defuse this situation without the pack-mentality beating they administered....or at least taken a break to confirm the big guy still wasn't cooperating. Rodney King took a MUCH more severe beating than this guy did and he didn't die...."normally" the use of force they used wouldn't kill someone, only hurt them badly.

Nationwide, the police lose an officer about every two days in the line of duty. For the most part, they manage difficult people and difficult situations without loss of life. There are bad cops (oh yes) but these guys didn't intend to kill this guy, and I feel for them too.

This is a sad story all around.