Cambridge Police Want to Use TASERs

Cambridge Police Want to Use TASERs

[This was published in the February 2007 edition of The Bridge
http://www.bridgenews.org
Their web site is not up and working as of March 18, 2007.]

On December 12, 2006 at 10:00 AM, the Cambridge City Council Committee on Public Safety held a hearing on TASERs. My letter filed on December 1, 2006, did not appear in the City Clerk's report. The Police Commissioner recommended use of TASERs.
Some police chiefs get TASER stock to promote the use of their firearms. I have no evidence that Cambridge Police Commissioner accepted anything to make his recommendation.
When Councilor Davis asked about the police killing of Emerson College student Victoria Snelgrove with a less lethal weapon, Police Commissioner Watson said she was killed by a pellet gun not a TASER. Police murdered her due to negligent training, contrary to assurances by the manufacturer that the gun was safe.
When Davis asked about community involvement, the Commissioner avoided the question. He said the Public Safety Committee "needs to be engaged first." Then he said a PIO (A what?) would be published and provided to the Council and to the Police Review Board. The Cambridge Police Review Board is a useless organization with no power staffed by incompetents with little knowledge of police practices. The chairman is a bigoted man who also chairs the Human Rights Commission. He simply obeys the City Manager. He has no ability to think for himself or to protect the rights of citizens.
Deputy City Manager Rossi said "the steering Committee [The what?] included [...] Human Services [...] and the Cambridge Hospital to get a good cross section point of view." Huh? What is the steering committee? Who appoints the city employees? Where are the victims of police abuses or critics?
Lt. Ames said that "There are no after effects." Really? What about the 167 deaths [no after effect?] after being TASERed reported by the Arizona Republic?
Dr. Workman said "The TASER does not affect the heart muscle, but there are ongoing studies." That's reassuring to those who died from heart attacks after being TASERed.
The latest was reported Jan. 9, 2007 in the New York Post. Of course "the company feels that the technology is safe." They FEEL it is safe? What kind of morons make these statements to a government agency? Why do city administrators accept this nonsense?
Ames revealed the focus of the hearing saying "there is no danger to the officer when the TASER subject is incapacitated." What about the civilian? There was no one at the meeting to raise that issue.
John Roberts represented the ACLU. The Boston ACLU works with the Boston police and the FBI. They never criticize the police no matter how badly they act as when the police killed Victoria Snelgrove.
Nancy Schlacter, assistant City Manager said, "pepper spray could cause harm to the police officer." That would be a reason for the officer to be careful. There is no reason for care when using a TASER.
Councilor Sullivan said "this is the beginning of the process of the use of less lethal tools." Notice he did not call them weapons. But it also demonstrates that he ignored my 8 years of written and spoken complaints about illegal use of less lethal weapons in Cambridge contrary to law.
Dr. Workman said, "the manufacturers dispute that TASERs kill. Some suspects were under the influence of drugs and some died due to misuse of the TASERs." Well, duh!
Councilor Toomey said, "If a TASER had been used on Porter Street, a life would have been saved." In July 2002 Cambridge police broke down the door and shot dead in his own home Daniel Furtado, with no court order and no warrant. If the police had not violated state and US law there would have been no death either. The police violated the US Constitution and killed a citizen contrary to law. There's nothing to stop them from violating their regulations misusing TASERs. Toomey's comment is at best misleading.
Continuing to spin the facts Deputy Manager Rossi said, "there is not a lot of force and shootings in Cambridge." I'm sure that is soothing to the family of Daniel Furtado.
Councilor Sullivan said, "five percent of people commit ninety-five percent of the crime." He did not give the figures for the percentage of police who are criminals.


--
Roy Bercaw, Editor
ENOUGH ROOM

Cambridge MA USA