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Mayor seeks inquiry into tasing

Officer’s use of stunner on 10-year-old needs outside look, he says

By Dave Hughes

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The mayor of Ozark in Franklin County said Tuesday that he wants an outside agency to investigate a local police officer’s use of a Taser on a 10-year-old girl.

The Arkansas State Police on Tuesday declined a request to investigate, and Mayor Vernon McDaniel said he will seek a review through the prosecuting attorney’s office.

“People here demanded an investigation from an outside agency just to try to show we are trying to be fair to everyone,” McDaniel said. No one would see an internal investigation as unbiased, he said.

State police spokesman Bill Sadler said the agency declined to investigate because the request was for an administrative review of the town’s Taser policy and not a ...

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This article was published November 18, 2009 at 5:49 a.m.

Arkansas, Pages 9 on 11/18/2009

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Comments on Mayor seeks inquiry into tasing

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Poorboy says...

Not knowing the complete story, it is not easy to understand. However, I do not believe the officer approached the situation correctly from what I have read.

November 18, 2009 at 7:02 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

Sir_Golfsalot says...

Well, let's see.....he could have put her in a head lock, or maybe a choke hold, or how about a rap across the head with his baton? Naw, all of those would have gotten him in hot water for use of excessive force on a child.

Face it folks, when someone gets violent (and believe it or not, a kick in the groin is violent even from a 10 year old) the officer has to make a hasty decision on how to subdue them and get them under control in the shortest amount of time with the proper technique that will do the least amount of damage.

While it may sound terrible to some of you, short of the girl calming down on her own (which apparently wasn't likely) the taser on a short burst was probably the best option available to him at the time.

November 18, 2009 at 8:33 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

MEnLR says...

This is not Texas and he is not the Lone Ranger. He should have held his position and called for back up, instead of being a one man force.
He is just like most of us, the cop got pissed when he got kicked in the nuts and reacted.
He will go down in history as the Ozark Cop that got his butt kicked by a 10 year old girl. Leave him be, that alone is embarrassing enough.

November 18, 2009 at 10:17 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

Sincerely says...

This is one of the saddest thing I've ever seen -- not the unbelievably cruel and immature actions of the mother and the police officer, but the unbelievably cruel attitudes of the people who endorse such meanness. I am a very small women, yet I never had to use deadly force to control little children (or children of any size, for that matter. (... and yes, it has proven to be deadly force according to the result of a recent autopsy and medical examiner's conclusion in Fort Worth, Texas.)

I realize I'm "casting my pearls before swine" in that the kind of person who feels this is acceptable is also the kind that feels that a child "kicking and screaming" should receive the DEATH PENALTY or execution, decided upon and administered by an employee of the local police department, as the price to pay for failing to obey (if the act had indeed resulted in death).

Remember, though, God is watching you!

P.S. To the author of the Texas ... ranger comment: In Texas, our police officers seem to be about like those of other states. Please don't give them larger blame. A larger problem is that this sort of thing is tolerated in our country because of the attitudes of people like many of those here that champion child abuse and police brutality because of their own personal hate and anger toward others.

November 18, 2009 at 4:16 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

Woody says...

The parent had lost control of the child. Asking for an officer to come to place a 10 year old in the shower?? Why? This should be a case for DHS. Obviously this child needs help. Perhaps now she can get that help. Under the circumstances the officer is not to be faulted. He did what he needed to do. I hope "daddy" will be supportive of getting the child the help she needs instead of yelling abuse directed toward the officer. Why didn't he go get the girl in the shower? Likely he is out of the home because of the confusion raising such a child brings, so he ran.

November 20, 2009 at 7:30 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

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