SrfCity

True and probably another law suit we all have to pay for. IMO things will only get worse in future. A lot of these guys coming back from overseas with borderline PTSD will wind up being cops. Gawd bless 'em but more jacked up cops probably won't lead to pleasantries

RufMD

one thing is for sure, next time he will be a little less smart assed, and a lot more willing to comply with requests.

Rick in Colorado

Which one - the cop or the motorist?

Normally I would bet that the cop would survive this, but the video tape evidence (and the internet) is going to create a world of hurt for him. Ironically, the tasing will end up more painful for him than the speeder.

lone wolf

cops are ****ing scumbags, plain and simple. they do society more harm than good.

lone wolf

this video is awesome. 'he took a ride with the taser' love it. ****ing power hungry idiots. the guy maybe finished high school and we should obey their instructions, or.........get shot.
makes me cheer for the lawyers, actually, who are our only means of self defense against these ********. sue'em.

DMB14

Shocking really. It seems like pretty much everyone who watched that video thinks the officer went too far and was out of line. In America the government is supposed to serve the will of the people. The police force shouldn't be able to decide what is an acceptable way to treat people if it doesn't reflect what the American people think. It's what protects us from tyranny.

SA Mike

Until you need one, Charlie Bronson

lone wolf

never needed one, never will. cops are pussies. thats why they are cops. ask that family in CT who were burned to death in their house while the cops waited outside! the perpetrators didnt even have weapons. cops are pussies. thats why they hide in the woods and write tickets to housewives doing 45 in a 30.

Yargk

I kinda like this viewpoint.

Tradical

The driver should have shut up and done as he was told. Thats the way it works. But, that did not give the power tripping rogue cop the right to tazer the driver. That was way out of line.

007GT3

Now, for the lawyers out there, do you have to "step out of the car" or do they have to arrest you first? I'm confused. Let me ask Linkin Park and Jayz

The year is '94 and in my trunk is raw
In my rear view mirror is the mother ****in law
I got two choices yall pull over the car or
Bounce on the double put the pedal to the floor
Now i ain't tryin to see no highway chase with jake
Plus i got a few dollars i can fight the case
So i...pull over to the side of the road
And i heard "Son do you know why i'm stoppin you for?"
Cause i'm young and i'm black and my hats real low
Do i look like a mind reader sir, i don't know
Am i under arrest or should i guess some mo?
"Well you was doin fifty five in a fifty four"
"Liscense and regestration and step out of the car"
"Are you carryin a weapon on you i know alot of you are"
I ain't steppin out of **** all my papers legit
"Well do you mind if i look round the car a little bit?"
Well my glove compartment is locked so is the trunk and the back
And i know my rights so you gon' need a warrent for that
"Aren't you sharp as a tack are some type of lawyer or something?"
"Or somebody important or somethin?"
Nah i ain't pass the bar but i know a little bit
Enough that you won't illegally search my ****
"Well see how smart you are when the K-9's come"
I got 99 problems but a bitch ain't one
Hit me

lone wolf

yeah what happens if you dont "step out of the car"?
and also what the hell are you supposed to do about the un-makred cars? i am not sure i'd stop for one, especially not in a bad neighborhood....

2fas4u

you don't argue tickets beside the road. if there was no sign to indicate speed he should have got a camrera of it and took it to court.

whakiewes

In the video, you can see the 40mph sign. Unfortunately its not one of the police cameras where it shows the speed so we can have an idea of what the guy was really doing.

I have been in a situation very similar to that guy where I was pulled over for spending in one of the 60>55>45>35 in half mile zones. The officer admitted where he clocked me (in a 55mph zone) as referenced by the specific location, but pulled me over in the 35mph zone. When my V1 went off, I was already full on the binders so I was down to 45 or 35 in a hurry and didn't speed back up. I admitted to doing 61mph (6 over) where he clocked me. When he came back with the ticket, it was a misdemeanor speeding ticket for 61 in a 35. I argued with the officer stating that he did not clock me doing 61 in the 35 but in the 55mph zone where he referenced the point in which he clocked me. He said that its a no-tolerance speeding zone, gave me a bunch of BS about the law, and told me I had to sign the ticket. I told him I was going to refuse to sign the ticket because I was not quilty of the crime he was accusing me of. He handed me the ticket and said 'I will see you in court then'. I preceeded to take pictures of his cruiser where we were pulled, the road, etc...

When I arrived at my court date, it was before a magestrate, not a judge. He offered me to have it reduced to a 54 in a 35 so it wasn't a misdemeanor or I could schedule a court date. Two days down and I met before a judge who said that I was guilty because of the no-tolerance zone. When I provided him with the specific law, he told me HE was the judge, not me, and he was upholding the officers decision (although contrary to the clearly written state law). I paid my fines and took the penalty of a 54 in a 35 as the cost to appeal the case would have been more time and money then it was worth.

So to say he should have handled it in court is not the case. If you don't believe you are guilty, then you have the right to protest the arrest. The officer in that case also did not follow many laws including the writ of habeus corpus. Clearly evident in the video the officer never informed the driver of his crime, either for the ticket or the arrest/tazering. Furthermore, he clearly lied on tape about the events that unfolded. It is not illegal in the State of Utah to not sign your ticket, nor is it an arrestable offense. Its not arrestable to argue with a police officer or to disagree with him.

Point in case is that I hate plaintiffs attorneys, but this is not a 'living breathing right' kind of case. This officer clearly did not do the right thing, did not follow laws that he SHOULD know, and did use excessive force. I hope the State of Utah sees a big fine for not firing this officer.

blake

You guys might enjoy this update posted on 11/30/07:

http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=2245753

From that article:

"The Utah Highway Patrol backs its trooper who fired a Taser at a citizen who refused to sign a speeding ticket. "The officer in this case, Trooper Jon Gardner's actions were lawful and reasonable," UHP says."

-B