DON'T FIGHT WITH POLICE
by Erin Stewart (Brantford, Ontario)
Orillia Packet and Times, March 5, 2009
It seems to be happening more and more that people think it is okay to fight with the police. It's not! The police have a job to do and they need to be respected. We should be standing up for them on issues like this, since the only reason they even have to use tasers is to protect society from people who cannot be controlled in other ways.
Remember that every time there is a crazed criminal on the streets, someone else is endangering their own life to protect you. There are guidelines on when police are permitted to use their taser, just like there are guidelines on every physical force reaction they use. There are also long, exhausting inquiries when there is even minimal belief that the officer reacted inappropriately. Police have the right to protect the public from persons that are beyond control. Since there are hundreds of police officers that are killed or injured each year while on the job, protecting our cities, I also think they have the right to protect themselves.
Tasers save lives and do less damage than the other measures they could take in the same scenario; seriously, if a cop is forced to use their baton on you, whatever they hit with that steel rod is going to break; so if it happens to be one of your major limbs, well, sorry but you'll just be out of commission for a while. The average person that is hit with a taser is taken to the hospital, checked out, and released the same day.
So, if you have a heart problem, or even if you don't, maybe you shouldn't be fighting with the police. If you still decide to fight with the police, don't whine to us when you're lying on your face.
