In contrast to Ferguson [View all]

[frogmarch]

A few days ago:


(Photobucket is very sluggish this morning, so the picture might not open)

http://chadrad.com/newsstory.cfm?story=34586

(S.D.)-Oglala Sioux Police Officer Is Being Investigated

By: Kevin Larsen Posted at: 08/19/2014 08:08 AM

RAPID CITY, S.D. (AP) - Federal law agencies are investigating whether an Oglala Sioux police officer improperly used a Taser on a man who was lying on the ground.

Tribal Public Safety Chief Ron Duke says that the officer probably used the stun gun on the drunk man between five and 10 times, trying to get him "to wake up and stand up."

The incident happened Friday afternoon in Manderson. Duke said the man was checked at a hospital and determined to be OK.

Duke said the officer is on paid leave while the FBI and the Bureau of Indian Affairs investigate the use of force.

The Associated Press was unable to immediately find a telephone number for the officer or determine if the officer had an attorney.

Yesterday:

http://chadrad.com/newsstory.cfm?story=34612


(S.D.)-Police Corporal Who Tazered Man Has Great Record

By: Kevin Larsen Posted at: 08/21/2014 02:41 PM

(Manderson)-The Oglala Sioux Tribe police officer who used a Taser several times on a man lying on the ground in Manderson on Friday has a good record with no disciplinary problems in her 2 1/2 years with the department, Ron Duke, chief of the OST Department of Public Safety, said Tuesday.
Duke said Corporal Becky Sotherland's good record was "one of the reasons she was promoted to corporal about a month ago."

According to Duke, Sotherland used the Taser as she was ordering Jeffrey Eagle Bull, 32, of Manderson, to get into her police vehicle. Eagle Bull was lying on the ground, and Duke said on Monday that Sotherland used the Taser to try to "wake him up."

A video taken by a passerby shows a helpless Eagle Bull being stunned by Sotherland's Taser. After onlookers shouted at Sotherland to stop, some of them helped Sotherland load Eagle Bull into the vehicle.

An officer at the Pine Ridge jail said Eagle Bull was incarcerated until Monday, when he was released after paying bail. Duke said on Monday that Eagle Bull was arrested on suspicion of disorderly conduct, trespassing and resisting an officer.

Duke has said that a camera on Sotherland's uniform gives a view of the incident different from what appears on the passerby's video. The FBI and Bureau of Indian Affairs are investigating the incident.

~~

Today:

http://chadrad.com/newsstory.cfm?story=34620

(S.D.)-Tribal Officer Fired After Stun Gun Incident

By: Roxie Graham-Marski Posted at: 08/22/2014 09:35 AM

RAPID CITY, S.D. (ASSOCIATED PRESS) - An Oglala Sioux police officer has been fired for improperly using a stun gun, and the police chief's job might also be in jeopardy.

Tribal Councilman Garfield Steele says Cpl. Becki Sotherland was fired Thursday for an incident last week in which she used a Taser several times on a man lying on the ground. A passer-by shot video and posted it online, drawing attention to the incident.

Steele says a Tribal Council committee is recommending Chief Ron Duke be fired for lack of leadership. Duke says he'll fight any effort to remove him.

Sotherland is being investigated by the FBI and the Bureau of Indian Affairs. A telephone listing for her couldn't be found and it wasn't immediately clear if she has an attorney.

I'll be watching to see how this turns out. So will a lot of other people around here.