Tuesday Roundup

Digby, one of the big bloggers, comments on a post from an Oregon blog regarding the inappropriateness of using tasers on people just because they annoy the police (You know, by knowing and asserting their rights.). Part of the post that Digby cites relates information about a case in which a jury found that a detective was abusive; they awarded his victim tens of thousands of dollars.

Speaking of costing tax payers money, Durham, NC is set to buy 125 new tasers for more than $176K. That price doesn't include settlements.

And in another likely example of tasing for misbehaving, police in CA tase a son upset that his father disappeared into the water at a beach (I've emailed the story's author asking for more information.):

As rescue crews waited for the Cost Guard and a Sheriff's boat the victim's two sons got anxious.

A CHP Officer used his taser on one of the brothers and then a second time as he tried to get back up.

CHP officials say the brothers who were understandably upset were getting in the way of rescue efforts.

The brothers were charged with interfering but investigators tell us those charges will most likely be dropped.

Meanwhile authorities have still not found the father.

Finally, in another FAIL for Taser International (TI), police in Palo Alto, CA are being accused of tampering with video evidence from tasers equipped (by TI) with cameras. In this case, it looks like the recording technology either failed to operate properly or used encryption week enough to allow tampering. Both of those failures are costing taxpayers more than the original taser sticker price.