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News :: Crime & Police |
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Champaign City Council Deadlocked on Taser Vote; Mayor Blasts Public for its Input |
Current rating: 0 |
by kakranich
Email: kakranich (nospam) yahoo.com (unverified!) |
23 Mar 2004
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Champaign City Council Members were evenly split Monday night over a resolution to purchase Taser electroshock guns for the police department. The vote was 4-4 with one member of the 9-member council absent. The final vote will be taken at the Council's April 6 meeting. |
Council members Kathy Ennen, Giraldo Rosales, Mike LaDue and JW Pirtle voted against Tasers while Mayer Schweighart, council members Vic McIntosh, Ken Pirok, and Jim Green voted for them. Council Member Tom Bruno was unable to attend Monday's meeting. His vote will decide the issue.
Green, McIntosh, LaDue, Pirtle and Pirok are all up for re-election next year.
Tasers are controversial, so-called "non-lethal" weapons that can propel two tiny fish hook darts up to 21-feet away that, when attached to a victim, deliver a 50,000-volt shock for five seconds that causes excruciating pain and renders the victim helpless and immobile.
City Council Chambers was packed with citizens, a dozen or so police
officers and their family members who all wore "Support Our Police" buttons.
Public opposition to Tasers at the meeting was almost unanimous and two hours long. Twenty-nine people spoke against Tasers including black and
white ministers, a medical student, members from the Urban League, the NAACP, citizens who claimed ill treatment by police, anti-war protestors,
students and many others. One officer and the wife of another officer spoke in favor of the Tasers.
Public opposition questioned police data citing the need for Tasers here, raised questions about the safety of Tasers, and spoke of the mistrust between the black and activist communities towards police. The public told numerous examples of alleged police abuse. Many members of the public were speaking to Council for the first time.
Mayor Schweighart spoke last and was openly defensive of the public criticism of Tasers and the police department and blasted the public for speaking out. The Mayor was a police officer for 32 years.
Below is a transcript of the majority of his speech.
"If I had to listen to some of the comments made tonight, I'd have had a hard time going on to the street protecting and serving you.
"How many of you showed up at the Champaign County Sheriff's office or Champaign County Board and voiced your opinion against Tasers? How many showed up in Rantoul which is in Champaign County and voice your opposition? Either one of two things hadppened. You didn't care about them and your trust the department, or the County Board and Sheriff's department didn't give you the opportunity.
"This City Council has always been out in the forefront seeking public comment and participation. Quite frankly, whenever I see a protest group come down here in opposition to something, I see the same faces always protesting. The Urban League, the NAACP, and I see other organizations that talk about racial profiling and not trusting the police and abuse stories I've heard over and over again. And I guarantee you that there are two sides to every one of those stories who heard tonight.
"But I want to challenge the minister associations, the NAACP, the Urban League, you have to make a step too. You can't just depend on the police because I know they have community relations programs…in the schools, in the neighborhoods. I personally in the past asked some of the ministers to get out on the streets and work on anti-drug programs and they didn't do it. I want you to take up the challenge and go to the police. There are ample opportunities in the city of Champaign, but it's not going to be all on the city or police's shoulders. You need to take an active part to build that trust. It's a two-way street. Then, and only then, will we be able to discuss an issue like this, Tasers will be used just on Black people because I'm sure it is effective on all colors. This is a technological advance that's going to prevent persons from being in trouble. I'm convinced of that.
"You've seen it in Danville, Rantoul, the Sheriff's Department has it. Have you heard of abuses?
"I remember sitting up at a council meeting it was packed with people when cable TV came along. A new technology and they were going to put the black box on the TV and the room was crowded with people who did not want this technology. Six months later, every TV was connected with everything. Now you challenge this because it's new technology and you don't understand it and so you are going to oppose it.
"I have the trust in our police knowing that they will use it. I know they will have regulations to regulate it. …Comply with a lawful arrest and we have no problem. If you don't do it, then don't tell me how I have to fight a subject that's two times bigger than me and two times stronger than me high on pcp and other drugs and you say fight him with your hands tied behind your back but don't hurt him.
"I'm definately voting for this." |
This work is in the public domain. |
Comments
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Re: Champaign City Council Deadlocked on Taser Vote; Mayor Blasts Public for its Input |
by observer
(No verified email address) |
Current rating: 0
24 Mar 2004
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Little sidenote---even the company that produces tasers calls the "less-lethal" weapons---not non-lethal. This is because some people have died after being tased.
I watched the meeting---Mayor Sweighart seemed particularly rude to one man. And his speech at the end showed his lack of objectivism concerning stories of police misconduct. How can citizens get justice if this is the reaction from the mayor? |
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Re: Champaign City Council Deadlocked on Taser Vote; Mayor Blasts Public for its Input |
by Muck Raker
(No verified email address) |
Current rating: 0
24 Mar 2004
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Dear Mayor Schweighart,
Gee, it must be really tough to be expected to be accountable to the citizens of Champaign.
Why weren't all these people in Rantoul or Danville to protest taser? Because they don't live there.
Maybe I'll feel better about tasers when there's a public demonstration on the mayor! |
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Re: Champaign City Council Deadlocked on Taser Vote; Mayor Blasts Public for its Input |
by Anita Stein
(No verified email address) |
Current rating: 10
24 Mar 2004
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For goodness sakes, did the mayor not hear a WORD I was saying about people with autism that the police might encounter? Autism is a COMMUNICATION disorder. How can you assume that tasers will only be used on people high on "PCP" and "two times stronger"????
I am appalled by the mayor's comments. |
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Re: Champaign City Council Deadlocked on Taser Vote; Mayor Blasts Public for its Input |
by the mayor is a disgrace
(No verified email address) |
Current rating: 3
24 Mar 2004
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This might be of interest to some, from the Law Enforcement Forums at Officer.com, comments from a thread on Tasers:
On the topic of public demonstrations of Tasers (Tasering Mayor Schweighart??)
"We had (notice the past tense) them. They were deployed 4 or 5 times in the Jail and ALOT for training. Two of our genius supervisors decided that they had to display them for the public being used (WHY?!?!?!?!). During the training, which wasn't done at our training center's DAAT room for some strange reason, the supervisor who was being tazed fell to the floor, hitting his head on the floor. He ended up with something like 6 stitches in his head and a minor concussion. In the ultimate wisdom of our Sheriff to appease the whiny liberals, he suspended them from use until a 'thorough and appropriate study in their use' could be conducted. I thought that is what over 1000 departments had already done without negative results, however I guess the experiences of Phoenix, Miama, Metro-Dade, LAPD, Seattle, Pierce Co. WA and numerous other agencies isn't good enough for our sheriff. So for the last 4 months or so we've been back to only hands and OC in the slammer, and OC, batons, hands, and beanbags on patrol."
("jeeper" - 641 posts since 2001)
On Taser effectiveness:
"We have them, so guys on patrol carry them and some dont. We do use them in our jail as we cant use pepper spray due to the ventilation system. We have had trouble with some of ours not working properly when they were used. Supposed to have been a 'faulty lot' and we send them back to taser and they send us a new one, no questions asked."
("rita" - 164 posts since 2000)
On Laughing at Violence:
"call the manufacturer. They have an excellent DVD available that has footage of actual use and a powerpoint presentation. They even have a Supercharged model for use on Livestock. They use it on a Bull and he just falls over. It is so so so funny"
("fred" - 353 posts since 2003)
"M-26 has been deployed at my Unit. We find it VERY effective. There are some of our Mental Health I/M that try it and pull it out, but that is what dogs are for... p.s. - just the sound of the leads electrifying is enough to make anyone cringe. I love it."
("TJ Jeznach" - 24 posts since 2003)
Officer arrogance and accountability:
"We experienced that federal PC issue when we worked the NFL Kickoff detail. One of the Montgomery County lieutenants was foolish enough to ask the U.S. Park Police if tasers would be permitted. Oh, my no!
"Being a sergeant, I've learned it is always easier to obtain forgiveness than permission."
("John from Maryland" - 478 posts since 2000)
The full thread can be found at:
http://officer.proteus.com/forums/showthread.php?s=9ba6461c07ce430d707a6a96e003bbb9&threadid=18198 |
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Re: Champaign City Council Deadlocked on Taser Vote; Mayor Blasts Public for its Input |
by commonsense
(No verified email address) |
Current rating: 1
24 Mar 2004
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Gee Mayor, if you hear stories over and over about police abuses---DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT TO PREVENT IT FROM CONTINUING!!! Pretty simple.... |
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Re: Champaign City Council Deadlocked on Taser Vote; Mayor Blasts Public for its Input |
by pm
(No verified email address) |
Current rating: 0
24 Mar 2004
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Could someone remind us why the Champaign police say they need Tasers? |
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Re: Champaign City Council Deadlocked on Taser Vote; Mayor Blasts Public for its Input |
by pm
(No verified email address) |
Current rating: 2
24 Mar 2004
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About a year ago, an anti-corporate action was going to take place in St. Louis, and the issue of Tasers cams up. Here's what the police were saying:
http://members3.boardhost.com/stlcoptalk/msg/44767.html
Re: Protesters
Posted by one-dering on May 11, 2003, 4:33 pm, in reply to "Re: Protesters"
Is it true we're going to be issued the new tazers before next weekend? I can't wait!
***
http://members3.boardhost.com/stlcoptalk/msg/44801.html
Re: Protesters
Posted by LL Cool Tazz on May 12, 2003, 9:26 am, in reply to "Re: Protesters"
Saw the boxes today, there may be a god!
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http://members3.boardhost.com/stlcoptalk/msg/44815.html
Re: Protesters
Posted by Reddy Kilowatt on May 12, 2003, 8:05 pm, in reply to "Re: Protesters"
I want that 220 Volt model that blows the teeth out of their head, just before they crap their pants.
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Other comments were posted in the same article: http://www.ucimc.org/newswire/display_any/11982 |
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Re: Champaign City Council Deadlocked on Taser Vote; Mayor Blasts Public for its Input |
by James Mortland
mortland1976 (nospam) yahoo.com (unverified) |
Current rating: 0
25 Mar 2004
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Ms. Stein:
A governing body shouldn’t make policy by treating the extraordinary situation as the paradigm case. The paradigm case concerning tazer use is the combative arrest resistor, not persons with autism.
Champaign police cannot be expected to stop carrying pistols because there have been instances of unnecessary use of deadly force by police from time to time throughout the nation.
Police go through intensive and continuous training to determine who is dangerous, who is deadly and who is mentally troubled and what kind of force to apply to each situation; sometimes they make the wrong decision, but this is the exception, not the rule.
The escalation of use of force model training that police study allows them to use force that is one step, and ONLY one step higher than the force being used by the person being apprehended. Granted, there are abuses of this model, but they are not the standard, they are the exception.
It would definitely be prudent for Champaign police to refine their working relationship with the residents of Champaign. It would also be prudent for Champaign police to have stringent training standards and continuous training that will decrease the likelihood that tazers would be abused or not used in the appropriate situation.
Again, the decision about whether to acquire tazers should be based on likely situations that police encounter on a day to day basis, not that an accident or incorrect decision may happen with those devices. |
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Re: Champaign City Council Deadlocked on Taser Vote; Mayor Blasts Public for its Input |
by NRA4Freedom
nra4freedom (nospam) hotmail.com (unverified) |
Current rating: 8
28 Apr 2004
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Why would anyone "protest" a taser? If you are not a criminal, and do not intend to be on the receiving end of one, why would you not WANT to give those who PLACE THEIR VERY LIVES ON THE LINE EVERY DAY FOR YOU the materials necessary to do their job???
You people are just disgusting... |
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