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| Taser use on teens spurs concerns |
| By Mercury News |
| Published: 09/20/2004 |
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A San Jose police officer arrived last Thursday at a Shasta Hanchett duplex, where a teenage boy was allegedly punching his mother. The officer ordered the boy, who had been restrained by a neighbor, to sit on the ground in front of her. The teen refused, and when he started to walk away, officer Julie Marin shot him with a Taser, sending a 50,000-volt charge through his body. The 5-foot-3, 136-pound 14-year-old became the second teen San Jose police have zapped this month, raising questions over how the latest less-lethal weaponry recently adopted by the department is being used and whether police should fire the stun guns on juveniles. On Sept. 3, a San Jose officer fired a Taser at a 16-year-old boy involved in a suspected gang fight at Independence High School. The teenager had become combative with school administrators and police, according to a police report, and began running from officer William Hoyt, who then shot the teenager's back with a Taser. San Jose Police Chief Robert Davis, who brought the largest arsenal of Tasers in the Bay Area to the department in April, has defended his officers' use of the weapon and believes they have been used ``judiciously'' to resolve confrontations that would have otherwise caused injuries, or even death. Police say circumstances, not the age or size of the person, should dictate Taser use. But some experts and child advocates argue that zapping underage suspects is dangerous. ``We teach our kids not to put the forks in electric sockets. Do we really think a jolt like that is good for them?'' Sparky Harlan, executive director of Bill Wilson Center, a shelter for troubled youths who interact with police, said of Tasers. ``I have serious concerns with Tasers being used on someone under 16.'' The San Jose police duty manual places no restrictions on how much force an officer can use to subdue a ``physically threatening or assaultive person,'' only that the force be ``objectively reasonable.'' There are no limitations to using force -- including pepper spray, baton or Taser -- in cases where a child or teenager poses a threat. A survey of Northern California police agencies equipped with Tasers found that many have policies similar to San Jose's, with the exception of Fremont. The Fremont police policy requires officers, who began carrying the Tasers on Friday, to take extra precautions when encountering pregnant women, people with health problems, senior citizens and children. |
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