Black Family Harrassed by Seminole Police - Dogs Sniff Infant Son's Diapers and under Woman's Dress

• Suit claims Seminole cops went overboard in stop

A Kissimmee couple said Thursday that Seminole County deputies went to such extremes to prove they had drugs during a 2001 traffic stop that they pulled down their infant son's diaper so a drug dog could sniff inside it. An attorney representing Darrell J. Young; his fiancée, Emerald McNeil; and their son, Da'Mond Young, filed a suit against Seminole Sheriff Don Eslinger and two of his deputies Thursday in Circuit Court in Sanford. Claims in the suit include false arrest and detention, invasion of privacy and intentional infliction of emotional distress. They are seeking damages in excess of $15,000. Attorney Howard Marks and his clients contend the couple were stopped because they are black. "We think it's a pretty clear case of racial profiling," Marks said. Young said he was driving along East 25th Street in Sanford, taking his 11/2-year-old son to day care, when he was stopped by Fagan about 8:30 a.m. Aug. 10, 2001.  After about 10 minutes he ordered everyone out of the car. Before long at least five other patrol cars arrived and a helicopter was circling overhead. Young said it was all he could do to keep his cool when the dog sniffed inside his son's diaper. "He's hollering and screaming," Young said. "I wanted to get that dog off my boy. They wouldn't let me." The dog also sniffed under McNeil's dress, the couple said. She was pregnant at the time. The deputies found no drugs. He said the drug dog was allowed to enter Young's Land Cruiser and defecated in the vehicle. "You have to have at least a reasonable suspicion" that there are drugs in the car, or permission from the owner, before the dog could legally enter the vehicle, Marks said. There was neither, he said. Young said at one point an officer pulled his gun and demanded to know where the drugs were.  McNeil said she was threatened with having her son taken away and turned over to the state Department of Children & Families. In the end, Young said, he was given a warning for not having his son in a child seat. He insists there is no way someone in a patrol car could have seen into his vehicle, which sits high off the road. [more]

Ex-cop charged in NYC deli shooting of Unarmed Latino Man

A former police officer was charged Monday with manslaughter in the shooting of a deli clerk last month despite his contention that the death was a tragic accident. An indictment accuses John Malik, 60, of recklessly firing a semiautomatic pistol at the victim while cashing a lottery ticket inside the deli the night of Oct. 18. Malik has told investigators that he was reaching for his pager when he accidentally dropped his holstered gun, which he was licensed to carry. As he fumbled to catch the weapon, he said, it fired and the bullet struck Manuel Chametla, an 18-year-old Mexican immigrant. At a news conference, Queens District Attorney Richard Brown noted that Malik, as a former police officer, "had 28 years experience in the handling of firearms." Despite that experience, the defendant "failed to safeguard a firearm he knew was loaded," Brown said. Malik pleaded not guilty to charges of reckless manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide, and was released on $25,000 bail. He faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted. [more]

• Pictured above: Noe Chametla, father of Manuel, speaks to reporters outside the Queens District Attorney's Office, while City Councilman Hiram Monserrate listens.
  
• TAPE? WHAT TAPE? [more

Houston Officer fatally shoots armed man at home

A Houston police officer called to break up a domestic dispute Monday morning fatally shot a 19-year-old who pointed a handgun at him, police said. The shooting happened at about 7:45 a.m. in the 3900 block of Madden, a tree-lined street of brick houses with tidy yards on the edge of Cloverland Park in southeast Houston. The dead man was identified as Joshua Lamar Joseph. Joseph and his girlfriend fought at a relative's home nearby said Capt. Dwayne Ready of the Houston Police Department. It was unclear Monday who called 911, but Ready said that when the first officer arrived on the scene, the two were still fighting and the officer began trying to separate them. As the officer patted down Joshua Joseph prior to putting him in the back of a patrol car, Ready said the man turned and shoved the officer backward. The officer drew his heavy flashlight to use as a weapon if necessary, Ready said. Police said Joseph moved to a grassy area just off the driveway, about 6 feet from the officer, and started jumping up and down. The officer tried to calm Joseph by talking to him but then saw Joseph pull a handgun from the front of his waistband, police said. Joseph pointed the pistol directly at the officer, homicide investigators said. Ready said that when the suspect drew the .45-caliber semiautomatic handgun, the officer dropped his flashlight, drew his service weapon and fired several shots at the man.  Family members of the dead man contacted community activist Quanell X by cell phone from the scene, seeking his advice. [more]

San Francisco Police custody death of Black Man probed

• Family lodges complaint with watchdog agency.

The civilian watchdog Office of Citizen Complaints has launched an investigation into the death of a drug dealer while in police custody. Police say Andre Brown, 40, swallowed a bag of cocaine and a bag of heroin as he was being arrested on Leavenworth Street near Turk Street around 6:15 p.m. on Nov. 23. Members of Brown's family met with homicide investigators Monday to quiz them on the death. The Police Department homicide unit investigates any deaths which occur in police custody. The family also lodged a complaint with the OCC, sparking a separate investigation. Brown's uncle, Henry Randolph, said that after talking with witnesses of the incident, he wanted an investigation into whether police used excessive force by hitting Brown with a baton, possibly contributing to his death. Randolph also questioned whether police could have administered CPR to Brown before the ambulance arrived. Lt. John Hennessey of the homicide unit declined to comment on the case, but said he urged any witnesses to the incident to come forward. Police Chief Heather Fong's office did not return calls for comment. [more]

Amnesty International Examines TASER Use by Law Enforcement

• Finds Rising Death Toll, Rampant Human Rights Abuses, Ill-Treatment and Torture

Amnesty International today released a report finding that the rampant proliferation of TASER electro-shock weapons among United States law enforcement agencies is contributing to widespread human rights abuses. The report details 74 TASER-related deaths that have occurred in the United States and Canada since June 2001, providing additional support for Amnesty International's long-standing call for a suspension of the use of the electro-shock weapons until it can be determined if they are killing people. Amnesty International USA will also release information documenting more than80 TASER-related deaths since 1999. The fact that more than 60 percent of these deaths have occurred in the last year (November 2003 to November 2004) significantly increases the urgency of this call. The 93-page report, Excessive and Lethal Force?: Deaths and Ill-treatment Involving Police Use of TASERs, concludes that, "far from being used to avoid lethal force, many US police agencies are deploying TASERs as a routine force option to subdue non-compliant or disturbed individuals who do not pose a serious danger to themselves or others. In some departments, TASERs have become the most prevalent force tool. They have been used against unruly schoolchildren; mentally disturbed or intoxicated individuals; unarmed suspects fleeing minor crime scenes and people who fail to comply immediately with a command." [more]

• Amnesty Report is [here]
• In 2002, he joined the board of Taser International. Last month, as Taser's president and chief executive each sold $20 million of stock, Kerik sold his for $5.7 million. [more]
  

Police are too quick to grab for Taser's power, say critics

Tasers have been used locally to end violent standoffs and subdue suicidal people, but a Seattle Post-Intelligencer review found they're also being used routinely in far less threatening situations -- including against juveniles, pregnant women and people who have already been handcuffed. King County sheriff's deputies have fired Tasers at a teenager who ran after not paying a $1.25 bus fare, a 71-year-old man who was arrested for drunken driving and refused to get into a patrol car, and a partially deaf man who couldn't hear deputies ordering him to stop, reports show. Some civil rights advocates argue Tasers are being drawn too quickly and in cases in which such extreme force isn't necessary. They worry about potential abuses as more officers rely on the tool to subdue people who they say pose no serious threat to themselves or others. "We have a problem with the rush to tase and ask questions later," said Sheley Secrest, with the NAACP's Seattle chapter, who has fielded several complaints, including one from Otis. The NAACP wants stricter policies. Amnesty International released a report today saying police nationwide are abusing the stun guns, and more than 70 deaths in Taser incidents raise questions about whether the devices are safe -- though the company that builds them insists they are.  [more]

• Pictured above:  Valinda Otis was three months pregnant -- and in handcuffs -- when a King County deputy used a Taser on her in September.

Is 'non-lethal' Taser deadly?

Willie Smith was high on cocaine the night he pinned his wife down and told her he wanted to get the devil out of her. She broke free, crawled out of their bedroom window and called for help. Auburn police say that when they came and tried to arrest Smith, he resisted. So officers used a Taser, subduing him with 50,000 volts of electricity. When Smith finally emerged from the apartment, he was rolled out on a gurney -- hogtied, face down with his hands and ankles cuffed behind him, his wife said. She could hear him whimpering. The 48-year-old man had a heart attack in the ambulance. He died in the hospital two days later. Smith was the third person in Washington to die after being shocked with a Taser; others died in Silverdale and Olympia. Nationwide, there have been 69 such deaths since 2000, raising concerns about a new breed of electric shock devices in widespread use by law enforcement. In dozens of cases nationwide, autopsies showed the victims died of a heart attack, cocaine intoxication or underlying causes such as heart disease. But autopsies in at least five cases found Tasers were a contributing factor in the deaths. The company that manufactures Tasers insists they are safe and non-lethal, and some medical professionals think some of the deaths may be the result of a combination of physical restraint and drug-induced agitation. But Amnesty International and other groups say such deaths are troubling and shouldn't be overlooked as more law enforcement officers use Tasers in a wide variety of situations. [more]

• Pictured above: Willie Smith was the third person in Washington state to die after being shocked with a Taser.

Some Black cops make mockery of civil rights

• "Wasn't the reason black activists fought so hard to get black officers on the police force was because they believed black people would be more sensitive toward black people? Today, black police officers who abuse black citizens are making a mockery of the civil rights movement."

Leroy Carter was arrested and charged with assault when an off-duty officer, Mark Jones, alleged Carter tried to run him down after a minor traffic accident. "My front end touched the rear end of his car and he jumped out of his car, hollering and screaming," Carter told me. "I told him: 'Man it's no damage to your car. What is this all about?' He put a gun to my head and put his hand around my neck," Carter said. "[Jones] never stated he was a police officer during the whole ordeal. The police questioned him and took me to the side and questioned me. Then they told me to get in the police car because we had to go to the police station and make a report," Carter said. "They questioned me for about two hours and left. Then they came back to my cell with a little bag and told me to empty all of my pockets. I asked them for what. You've got to tell me what you are charging me with," Carter said he told police officers. "I have a wife at home who is a diabetic. I've been here long enough." Carter was told that he was being charged with assault. He was fingerprinted and his mug shot was taken before his son arrived at the 111th Street Station. [more] "Don't even get paid a whole lot" -KRS

A report shows Police officers rarely are Prosecuted over alleged offenses

Houston is a prime example of a national trend that shows law enforcement officials hardly ever are taken to court over allegations of violating people's civil rights, according to a study of federal records. Federal prosecutors nationwide decline to prosecute about 98 percent of the cases against police officers, prison guards and other government officials, according to U.S. Justice Department records analyzed in a report by the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse. TRAC, an independent, nonprofit research institute at Syracuse University, files hundreds of Freedom of Information requests a year and provides federal data to news organizations in an online database. The federal Southern District of Texas, dominated by Houston, gets the nation's largest number of FBI investigations of police abuse and other civil rights complaints, and has one of the lowest prosecution rates, according to the report. The U.S. Attorney's Office declines to take action on 99.3 percent of the cases in the Houston region, the study found, and four Texas districts were ranked among the five districts nationwide with the largest number of cases received from the FBI from 1986 to 2003. [more]

Salt Lake City to pay to settle civil-rights suit

• 1997 drug raid:  Police targeted Panaderia La Diana due to its Latino owner and customers 

Salt Lake City has agreed to pay $290,000 to settle a civil-rights lawsuit over a raid on a tortilla factory, more than seven years after police kicked down its unlocked doors and held customers at gunpoint while searching - unsuccessfully - for drugs. Eighteen people who were at the Panaderia La Diana during the 1997 raid and the business itself each will receive about $15,000. Each plaintiff is expected to net approximately $10,000 after attorney fees and costs. Under Monday's agreement, Salt Lake City police admit no wrongdoing or discrimination. Owner Rafael Gomez said he was struck in the face and knocked down as police burst in, and said he saw one officer point a rifle at the head of his 6-year-old son. Graciela Zamora, a secretary at the business, said an officer dragged her to the floor by her hair. About 80 people, including employees and customers, were handcuffed and held for up to three hours. The raid was a failure - the task force of 75 local and federal officers found no weapons or street drugs at the business. Outcry over the raid was one factor that led to the eventual ouster of then-Salt Lake City Police Chief Ruben Ortega. The lawsuit contended police had no evidence of crime at the factory, which also is a restaurant and market, but targeted the business because the owner and most of the customers are Latino. Police spokesman Dwayne Baird said Monday that Salt Lake City denies the allegations in the suit. However, "the parties have agreed to settle the matter and move on," he said. [more]

• Pictured above: Rafael Gomez, owner of Panadaria La Diana, has suffered a serious loss of business after a terrifying police raid. [more]
  

Calumet City Mayor hopes to curb jaywalking: Ignorant Mayor Believes Jay Walking is the Problem not Untrained Redneck Cops

Mayor Michelle Markiewicz Qualkinbush donated a large portion of money allotted to her from the state's motor fuel tax funds to extend sidewalks near the high school to keep students from walking in the roadway. Each alderman was allotted $12,450 each in sidewalk money, Qualkinbush was allotted $30,000 and spent $17,000 on sidewalks on the south side of Pulaski Road. Qualkinbush said that although the new sidewalks on the south side of Pulaski Road went in a few weeks ago, she saw students walking in the roadway as recently as Tuesday. "We thought it would be a good thing to look for locations around the schools to address some (walking in the roadway) concerns," she said. "Youth still need to recognize that if the sidewalks are there, they need to walk on them or walk as close to the curb as possible if there is no sidewalk." After complaints from motorists, the Police Department in the spring began enforcing its 20-year-old jaywalking ordinance, forbidding residents from walking in the roadways. Motorists complained that youth were slow to move out of the street for passing traffic and intimidated drivers with obscenities and gestures, said Police Chief Pat O'Meara. More than half of the high school's 1,500 students are walkers, who in large groups find it difficult to cram themselves on sidewalks or walk close to the curb on streets where there are no sidewalks. City officials have come under fire for the ordinance, which some have said unfairly targets black youth. Sophomore Don Pennington said he was arrested in August for violating the ordinance, and alleged he was beaten by a police officer while waiting for his parents to be called. He was also charged with two counts of battery against a police officer.

• The Police Department and City Hall first came under fire for the enforcement of the ordinance when 130 students were detained in May. The law calls for minors to be taken to the police station and held until parents pick them up. Parents are also responsible for fines, which range from $25 to $500. [more]

FBI looking into 2001 shooting of Black Man by Terrebonne Parish Police

The FBI is investigating a 2001 fatal police shooting that followed an attempted cocaine bust by Terrebonne Parish Sheriff's deputies. "The FBI has been made aware of possible civil-rights violations and is looking into it," FBI spokeswoman Sheila Thorne said. Derrick Diggs Sr., 29, of Houma was killed as he allegedly tried to escape arrest on Dec. 15, 2001, in the parking lot of a convenience store. Diggs tried to flee in a car when officers closed in after an undercover cocaine buy, placing one officer in jeopardy and prompting at least two others to open fire, police have said. Diggs died at a hospital shortly afterward. The two officers named in court documents -- Shane Fletcher and Rusty Hornsby -- were cleared of criminal wrongdoing by a grand jury in August. But Diggs' family and their supporters maintain the shooting was unjustified and illegal. Thorne would not elaborate on how the FBI was made aware of the possible violations. Jerome Boykin, president of the Terrebonne Parish National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, said the local NAACP chapter filed a complaint with the bureau following the grand jury's decision. "At this point we're happy to know the FBI's looking into this injustice, the murder that was done to Derrick Diggs," Boykin said. The events since the shooting -- which included a May 2002 indictment against Fletcher and Hornsby that was thrown out on a technicality -- will have no bearing on how the bureau handles the investigation, Thorne said. [more]

Review Board Says Orange County (FLA) Deputy at Fault in Fatal Shooting of Black Man

• Police Shoot & Kill Wrong Suspect -  Thought he had a gun -  Pulling Pants Up

A citizens' review board says an Orange County deputy was at fault when he shot and killed a man last year. Deputy Richard Mankewich was cleared of criminal charges earlier this year. But the nine-member review board found otherwise Monday night, saying it believes Mankewich was guilty of excessive force and abuse of power. Sgt. Richard Mankewich fatally shot Marvin Williams in mid-January when Williams was fleeing from officers. He was mistaken for a homicide suspect. Mankewich told investigators and a grand jury that he thought Williams was going for a gun because he reached toward his waist. But most of the board members believed Williams was pulling up his pants.  As it turned out, Williams was not armed, had no drugs on him and had no outstanding warrants. Williams was also the wrong man, not really the murder suspect they thought they were chasing.Mankewich, a 13-year veteran of the sheriff's office, was the subject of public scrutiny in 1997 when he was involved in the stop and arrest of a Miami police major along Florida's Turnpike. The major filed a civil rights suit that claimed he was stopped because he was black. The suit was later settled.[more] and [more]

• Officers mistakenly thought the unarmed Orange County man was a suspect in a slaying. [more]
• Riot Breaks Out In Orlando After Funeral [more]
• Jury clears deputies in shootings [more]
• Deja Vu with the Boys in Blue [more]

Controversial Columbus Police shooting of Black Man not over

A grand jury may have exonerated a Columbus police officer in the shooting death of Kenneth Walker, but that doesn't mean the case is closed. Activists who see Walker's death as police brutality hope for a civil lawsuit and possible federal charges for violating Walker's civil rights. State criminal charges are impossible now for Muscogee County Sheriff's Deputy David Glisson. A Columbus grand jury said Tuesday there wasn't probably cause for a case. But Glisson could still face a trial, possibly even a federal criminal trial, for the Dec. 10 shooting death of Walker. Then-Deputy Glisson shot Walker during a traffic stop along Interstate 185. Walker and three friends were riding in a gray GMC Yukon seen leaving an apartment that was under surveillance by Metro Narcotics Task Force agents for drug activity. Officers ordered the four men from the vehicle and during that time, Walker was shot twice in the head. No drugs or weapons were found in the Yukon, on Walker or on the other men. Glisson was fired in February. The grand jury considered indictments on felony murder or involuntary manslaughter, but after reviewing the case and a videotape of the incident decided not to indict Glisson. The officer now could face federal charges for violating Walker's civil rights, said Emory University law professor Richard D. Freer. Thousands of these cases are filed each year, he said. [more

Judge: Black Teen's death was unjust - Unarmed Teen with both Hands in the Air Murdered by New Orleans Cops

• 13-year civil case finally has ruling - - Unarmed Teen with both Hands in the Air Murdered by Cops

 It was a long time ago, 13 years to be exact, that the name Corey Horton rang out like a call to action on the streets of New Orleans. In the days after the unarmed 16-year-old was fatally shot by police at a busy Gentilly intersection, state and federal investigations were launched, protests drew hundreds of demonstrators, and the New Orleans Police Department closed ranks around what it determined to be a justified shooting. In Horton's death, some saw a homegrown version of the beating of motorist Rodney King that rocked Los Angeles in 1991. At one rally in Horton's neighborhood, marchers hit the street with a giant banner that read, "Charge killer cops." The pace of the litigation may have been glacial, but the all-but-forgotten lawsuit finally reached a conclusion Nov. 10 when Civil District Court Judge Rose Ledet issued a ruling: Horton suffered a wrongful death at the hands of the city, the victim of police brutality.  "Corey Horton exited the truck with his hands up," Ledet wrote. "He was completely surrounded. There was sufficient manpower available to arrest him. Although the officers reasonably suspected Mr. Horton was armed, there was no evidence of a weapon."  The events leading up to Horton's death were not in dispute. On Aug. 24, 1991, three days after he turned 16, Horton was stopped in clear daylight while driving a stolen Dodge truck. Police were looking for the truck after receiving a tip it had been commandeered by Horton's older brother Anthony, who was wanted in a string of robberies. Instead, the officers found Corey behind the wheel along with Horton's girlfriend, Lekiksha Thompson, and another young woman with her 1-year-old child. Fanguy and two other officers surrounded the truck and ordered the driver to get out. By all accounts, Corey Horton exited with both hands in the air. Several witnesses said Horton never resisted. They said Horton was shot with both hands in the air.  [more]

NYC Cops fatally shoot homeless Latino man

Police fatally shot a homeless man who was attacking a woman with a four-foot aluminum light fixture in Brooklyn early Monday. Jose Feliciano, 44, was shot once in the chest by a police officer around 6 a.m. in front of 599 Sutter Ave. as he approached the officer swinging the 4 x 1 aluminum light fixture.  He was pronounced dead on arrival at Brookdale Hospital Center. While police officials, speaking off the record, said the shooting appears justifiable, City Councilman Charles Barron, whose district includes the area, questioned why the officers didn't try to restrain the man with less deadly police equipment. The chain of events that led to the fatal shooting unfurled in a matter of seconds. Doris Lopez, 34, emerged from her Sutter Avenue apartment headed to the Lucky 1 Deli Grocery across the street for coffee and felt something brush against her hair, she said. "When I turned around Jose was swinging at me," she said. Monday, as Feliciano continued to swing the light fixture, Lopez tried to calm him while running home. Lopez spotted a police car driving down the street and screamed for help."They kept telling him to put the thing down but he kept swinging at him," Lopez said. She said the two officers initially didn't have their guns drawn but eventually one of them unholstered his weapon and fired once at Feliciano. "Let's say everything happened the way the police say it happened," the city councilman said. "They've got to find another way to disarm somebody. If you go through all that training at the academy and two men with batons can't disarm a man holding a metal object then they shouldn't be patrolling these streets. We're not animals out here. They've got to respect our lives. This is ridiculous." [more]

Grand jury clears Elkhart officer in shooting death of Black Man

A grand jury Monday cleared Elkhart Police Cpl. Doug Ryback of any charges in connection with the shooting death of Stanley Creal, 50, who was killed Oct. 6 as police executed a search warrant. Ryback said he couldn't comment on the grand jury's decision, citing policies of the police department and a possible internal investigation, common practice in police shootings. Ryback's relief, however -- and that of several of his colleagues, who spent the day with him -- was evident after the jurors left the Elkhart Circuit Courtroom. Prosecutor Curtis Hill also said little about the case or the evidence, the presentation of which took about 51/2 hours Monday. Grand jurors heard from a forensic pathologist, state police detectives -- state police investigated the shooting -- and Elkhart police officers about the events of that night. Hill did say he believes Creal was unarmed at the time of the shooting, and said after the jury's decision, "There's the inference that there's a belief that (Ryback's) actions were justified." Hill's chief investigator, Bill Wargo, said Creal indeed was unarmed. "He made a movement which the officers felt put them in danger. (It) led them to believe he was going for a weapon. No weapon was found." After the shooting, authorities released a few details, saying officers went to Creal's apartment at 230 W. Jackson Blvd. They got there about 9:30 p.m. to serve a warrant in connection with an investigation into crack cocaine sales from apartment C. Officers forced entry into the apartment after knocking and announcing their presence, according to authorities. [more] and [more]

Feds lend Calumet City a hand

A federal agency is working on a project to assess the relationship between the Police Department and members of the community. The U.S. Department of Justice offered to assist the city in opening the lines of communication between officers and citizens just days after a 15-year-old alleged he was beaten by a Calumet City police officer while in police custody. The Justice Department is still in the early stages of gathering information, but expects to pass on recommendations to the city in late January, said Police Chief Pat O'Meara. Don Pennington Jr., 15, made public allegations he was beaten by a police officer while in custody after he was picked up for jaywalking. In the days that followed, protesters surrounded the police station and City Hall, calling on the city to investigate the incident, suspend the officer involved and repeal the city's jaywalking ordinance. Some say the ordinance, which police have aggressively enforced this year, unfairly targets black youth. The city said the ordinance is enforced due to a large number of complaints from motorists who say youth walk in the roadways and are reluctant to move for traffic. [more]

Taser on children OK, Florida police say

Officials from a majority of law enforcement agencies in Volusia and Flagler counties say they would not hesitate to shoot a child with a Taser stun gun to keep the youngster from harming himself or someone else. The Taser policies of law enforcement agencies in both counties require police to consider everything from a suspect's age to physical and mental condition, but no local agency specifically prohibits using the weapon on a child. "There are those youths out there that are just as capable of hurting someone as any 18-year-old," said Sgt. Pete Moon of the DeLand Police Department. "Each scenario is different." Debra Johnson, a spokeswoman with the Flagler County Sheriff's Office, agreed that age wasn't the only deciding factor. "There are some 12 year-olds out there that are bigger than some adults," she said. The weapons are equipped with electric barbs that penetrate the skin and transmit an electric shock of up to 50,000 volts from the Taser. Tasers also may be used as a stun gun by pressing the weapon against the skin. Law enforcement agencies in the area discussed their policies with The News-Journal after two separate incidents in Miami in which police were accused of using their Taser guns on children -- a 12-year-old girl and a 6-year-old boy -- who officers claimed were endangering themselves. $10-plus million lawsuit filed against the city of Shreveport. [more]

• Taser Stock  falls on New York Times report [more]
  

Claims Over Tasers' Safety Are Challenged

Taser International, whose electrical guns are used by thousands of police departments nationwide, says that a federal study endorses the safety of its guns, but the laboratory that conducted the research disagrees. Taser said last month that the government study, whose full results have not yet been released, found that its guns were safe. Since that statement, the company's stock has soared and its executives and directors have sold $68 million in shares, about 5 percent of Taser's stock and nearly half their holdings. But the Air Force laboratory that conducted the study now says that it actually found that the guns could be dangerous and that more data was needed to evaluate their risks. The guns "may cause several unintended effects, albeit with low probabilities of occurrence," the laboratory said last week in a statement released after a symposium on Tasers, as the company's guns are known, and other weapons intended to incapacitate people without killing them. Taser said Wednesday that it stood behind its October statement.  Tasers are pistol-shaped weapons that fire electrified darts up to 21 feet, shocking suspects with a painful charge. More than 5,500 police departments and prisons now use Tasers, compared with only a handful five years ago. Amnesty has called for police departments to stop using the guns pending an independent inquiry into their safety. The group will release a report next week documenting police abuse of Tasers.[more]

• Pictured above: TASER International Advanced M-Series Taser. Available for $399.95  from RemainSafe.com [shop here]