So the police came and tazed a guy in our store's men's room today

[skygazer]

Never a dull moment working retail. :eyes:

I know nothing about the guy. He was in our men's room hollering and swearing and threatening customers who went in there. So the manager went in to try to talk to him and the guy yelled at him and told him he was going to kill himself and everyone in the store.

So the cops came and tried to talk him down but he was out of control, waving a box cutter or something and refusing to put it down. So they tazed him.

I do feel sorry for the guy - it seems pretty obvious that he was seriously messed up, either psychotic or using some substance. But I also feel sorry for the cops who were really trying to resolve the situation without force.

Just a strange situation all around. Makes me appreciate the tough job cops have.


Although I couldn't help but think, "Don't taze me, bro" and I'm sure that every time our manager reprimands one of us now, that's what he'll hear. :P

[Shell Beau]

1. Some cops probably get a little to taze happy. But sometimes it is

warranted. My brother, a state trooper, had to taze a guy the other night. He didn't want to. He's been tazed 3 times himself. Not pleasant. But the guy threatened him and tried to punch him a few times. Even tried to grab his gun. It sucks! Not all cops are out there to abuse people. A lot of times it is a safety issue. We hear about the nasty ones, and I am glad we do. But it can be a no win situation for the cops sometimes. I am sure I will get flamed for saying that, but so what. I have heard so many horror stories from my brother and have seen what it does to him. Cops are not all bad. Yes, some are.

[skygazer]

2. This cop had been tazed before too

He chose to do it as part of his training because he said, if he was going to inflict it on someone else, he wanted to know what it was like. I respect that.

And yes, we do hear the bad things which we should hear about and the cops who do them should be punished. But while they are making the headlines, many more cops are doing their job right every day in difficult circumstances.

I have a lot of respect for cops and that comes from someone who has dealt with them from BOTH sides of the law.

[Shell Beau]

4. I am glad to hear you say that.

I am not sure what my opinion of cops would be if my brother weren't one. But, I have heard what he deals with on a daily basis and it isn't pretty. My brother had to kill a man before. It about killed him. It was one of those times when it was warranted though. This guy shot his girlfriend because he found out she gave him AIDS. Luckily, she lived. But it was touch and go for a few weeks. He fled that scene and took his mom hostage at knife point. It became a hostage situation. After 6 hours, some went in. My brother was there trying to talk him down. The guy cut his mother and pulled a gun on my brother. Tried to kill him. My brother had no other option but to pull the trigger. He has never ever been the same since. I mean, not only did he kill a guy, but he killed him in front of his mother. Thankfully, the mother supported what my brother did. She knew someone was going to die that night. He found a kidnapped 6 year old girl in a garbage bag dead once. He has had to go to the homes of parents to tell them their child died in a car wreck. He saved a woman's life during KAtrina. It is an ugly job that they do. And a thankless job a lot of the time. Their pay is ridiculous. It wreaks havoc on their personal lives. But all we hear about are the assholes that do the asshole things they do. And that is what many people form their opinions on. I am the first to admit I may have a different opinion of them if I didn't know one personally. And there are shitty asshole cops out there. Lots of them. But there are brave heros out there too. And I will stand up for them.

[murielm99]

6. Our former Democratic committee county chairman was a cop.

He worked youth division for eighteen years. Imagine what he saw.

I have seen what his training has done for him. He handles almost any situation with aplomb. He knows how to forget things and let them go. He would probably have had several nervous breakdowns by now if he could not do that.

Most cops are not assholes who want to shoot, arrest or taze someone. Most of them want to calm a situation and send everyone home as happily as possible.

I do have to note that my friend's personal life has suffered because of his work. He is divorced.

[Shell Beau]

7. Yep. My brother is going through a divorce right now.

I hate it so much. His wife is really like my sister. They started dating when she was 13!! He was 15. Crazy, I know. But she has been in my family for over half of her life. I think almost every bit of it has to do with his job. It has changed who he is. I guess when you see dead mangled up bodies on a daily basis (car wrecks mostly), it tends to do that. x(

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

5. My cousin tazed himself

He said it hurt like hell. He's not a cop, though. He just bought a black market tazer and wanted to try it out.

[mainegreen]

3. Thank you.

:rofl: