Don't run on the field in Philly.....

[c0r]

i have no problem with it at all. id do the same thing if i were that cop. the kid was running around for like 20 seconds juking and poo. im some fat cop im tired of running for this idiot so here comes the taser, bro.

[NanceUSMC]

Get bit by one of those bad boys one time and you think twice about doing it again!

I still have nightmares.......

[dimbee]

Law enforcement is cleared to use a Taser in ANY circumstance where a subject is poised to ACTIVELY resist a direct order... This includes, but is not limited to, running onto a ball field, where security does not know your intentions, and acting afool... The officer, regardless of public perception, was 100% within his SOP for doing this... He will be covered, and cleared, from any legal liability...

While everything that you said is 100% true, I think a bit of restraint is required in these types of scenarios. A guy running onto the field is going to show his intent within the first 10 steps of being on the field. Is he there to run around, act the fool and enjoy 15 seconds of notoriety? Is he there to physically assault one of the players? The actions of the person in these 2 scenarios would be markedly different from the moment they cross the fence. History shows that the idiots just acting the fool eventually get corralled, and without the use of possibly lethal force. These tazers are no joke. Electrocution is no joke. Yes, the kid crossed the line and should be punished for it. He obviously had no violent intent.

[dimbee]

[NanceUSMC]

While everything that you said is 100% true, I think a bit of restraint is required in these types of scenarios. A guy running onto the field is going to show his intent within the first 10 steps of being on the field. Is he there to run around, act the fool and enjoy 15 seconds of notoriety? Is he there to physically assault one of the players? The actions of the person in these 2 scenarios would be markedly different from the moment they cross the fence. History shows that the idiots just acting the fool eventually get corralled, and without the use of possibly lethal force. These tazers are no joke. Electrocution is no joke. Yes, the kid crossed the line and should be punished for it. He obviously had no violent intent.

Watch the video. You only have to watch 8 seconds to see the cop hasn't even tried to chase the kid down, who is running in circles waving his towel. The cop is running at him 8 seconds in with his tazer already drawn and pointed at the kid. Come on, officer, at least try to run him down before pulling a tazer on someone. Nance, there is no way that the officer has already been able to shout at the kid to stop, get down on the ground. So, the premise that he's disobeying a direct order from an officer is hard to justify in this case, IMHO. The cop is running with his tazer drawn before even trying to tell the kid to stop.

I don't disagree that it might have been better to use a bit more restraint, but keep in mind, we have no idea what kind of interaction has happened once the video picks up... When the video opens, the kid is already in CF with security trying to corral him... So we don't know how much he's done before that point (admittedly, probably nothing more than run right to CF)... I also agree that it's pretty obvious, by the time the video opens, that no players are in direct danger...

Here's what I'm thinking, just from my experiences:

Had it been me, the first thing I would have done would have been to draw the Taser, and advance on the subject... I'm also positive, that as the officer is advancing, he's shouting the entire time for the kid to get down (it's like a reflex, you do it and don't even realize it)... Now, the reason for having the Taser drawn isn't that you're hoping to get a clean hip shot in front of 40,000 fans (that's the LAST thing on your mind, or at least the last thing you'd be hoping)... The initial purpose of having the Taser drawn is to show you are PREPARED to use extreme force, which TYPICALLY enduces an immediate compliance... Throughout my time with the Sheriff's Office, I used the Taser in multiple circumstances, and found it to be EXCEPTIONALLY effective (and I never once fired a shot from it)... In every single incident that I 'used' the Taser, it's BEST use was from simply drawing it so the subject could see you were ready to use it... (I'll add a disclaimer that some officers will certainly not have that same type of success) Now, back to the video... As the officer advances, the kid is certainly eluding him, as well as the security... By the looks of it, it's clear the subject has no intention of just stopping and lying down, which leaves the officer 2 options, Tase him or tackle him... Now, by the looks of that officer, I'm gonna guess that kid could have ran all night and not got caught by him lol... Which leaves the option of Tasing him...

I do agree with the decision the officer made in this instance, BUT, I can also see where it would be easy to question this decision... No, being Tased is NO joke... On a Suckage Scale of 1 to 10, it ranks a 55.3... I also agree it appears he had no violent intent... Now, that's not something you're gonna know right off the bat, even if history shows that things like this are rarely violent... It's just a chance you CANT take as an officer... The one time you assume to know the subject's intentions, is the one time you have someone pretend like they're just acting afool, and the next thing you know you've got a dead player in front of a national audience... Can't take that chance... I also wouldn't be surprised to find out these officers have been trained as to what to do in an incident like this where a fan charges the field... It's entirely possible they are under instruction to Tase, because you just don't know what the intentions are, and even if the intentions begin as jovial and playful, that can change in a flash, especially given the probability of alcohol being involved...

Now, if it's notoriety he's looking for.......... lol Well, he got that wish granted... Imagine his day at school today, or the day he'll have tomorrow now that this is national... If it was 15 minutes of fame he was looking for, well, he just got a story he can tell his grandkids about...

And, again, I'm not disagreeing with you so much as just letting you know perhaps what the officer might have been trained or told to do...

One place I DO think the officer was wreckless, is that he was firing his Taser at a moving target (very dangerous in terms of the potential of putting an eye out), in a crowd of security guards, with wire leads that are 'hot' running 15 to 21 feet back to the weapon where innocent people chasing the subject could easily get struck by the Taser... That, IMO, was a bit haphazard...

[DirtyMagic97]

They need to just put up signs saying that if you step on the field a taser will be used on you. If you struggle, a taser will be used on you a second time. I still remember the Tom Gamboa incident, and I just can't stan this crap anyway. I personally think they should utilize those bean bag guns too. Those are sweet.

[NanceUSMC]

They need to just put up signs saying that if you step on the field a taser will be used on you. If you struggle, a taser will be used on you a second time. I still remember the Tom Gamboa incident, and I just can't stan this crap anyway. I personally think they should utilize those bean bag guns too. Those are sweet.

Those are quite effective, but are substantially more dangerous than the Taser... Same with the rubber bullets... Gotta really know what you're doing to use those... Might not be the best option in a crowd of innocents like that... Perfect for regaining order in a gang fight though! heh Just make sure to aim low...

[DirtyMagic97]

Those are quite effective, but are substantially more dangerous than the Taser... Same with the rubber bullets... Gotta really know what you're doing to use those... Might not be the best option in a crowd of innocents like that... Perfect for regaining order in a gang fight though! heh Just make sure to aim low...

Haha yea it was pretty much a joke, but those things would no doubt be effective! I bet if they just had security sitting on the field with those things it would be a pretty big deterrent for people who want to run on the field.

[c0r]

someone else ran on the field last night. im going to the game tomorrow and will make it four straight if someone goes on the field again tonight!

[Johnny Rockets]

someone else ran on the field last night. im going to the game tomorrow and will make it four straight if someone goes on the field again tonight!

Hopefully the next guy that runs on the field won't have drugs in his pocket like the idiot last night did.

[jkeough]

seriously....wtf is in the water up there?

[Epistaxis]

I think the best non-lethal deterrant might be the use of a K9 unit.

And this time, friggin' SHOW IT.

On the jumbotron and the nightly news and CNN and everywhere.

Run on the field, and rather than risk our human officers safety, your ass is gonna get chewed.

Nobody dies, and I bet dollars to donuts even Philly fans will sit proper.

[Johnny Rockets]

seriously....wtf is in the water up there?

Hyodrogen, Oxygen and a little bit of grease runoff from all the cheesesteak shops around town.

[JakeFlake]

Hyodrogen, Oxygen and a little bit of grease runoff from all the cheesesteak shops around town.

Just grease from the cheesesteak shops? What about the grease from all the hair gel?