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1. The first time Jan Adams "honored" the wishes of a member of the West family, a woman ended up dead.

   Posted by: Dan B | Nov 21, 2007 4:17:24 PM

   
   

2. re. the utterly appalling taser abuse, the best thing to do is call STATE UHP at 801-965-9518 and the Governers office at 801-538-1000 (Huntsman) and file a formal complaint. If you read all of the comments on the actual youtube post, there are a number from law enforcement stating this was totally unjustified (including the bogus ticket) and deserves prosecution. Lets all make a difference!

   Posted by: Danmac | Nov 21, 2007 4:24:00 PM

   
   

3. I don't get the taser abuse story. To me, the motorist was in the wrong, in the way you deal with a traffic citation. You sign the citation, pay the fine or fight the charge. Getting crazed and difficult on the side of a highway gets you tasered or arrested or both.

   Posted by: Vi Agara | Nov 21, 2007 5:04:32 PM

   
   

4. As much as I hate cops, this cop was in the right. The motorist was argumentative in the car, then argumentative out of the car, then he twice refused to obey a simple command and then put his right hand in his pocket while walking back to the car!! The cop has no idea what's in his pocket, no idea what else is in the car, no idea how crazy the wife is. He should have been tazered.

   Posted by: Pat | Nov 21, 2007 5:34:20 PM

   
   

5. Vi Agara,

   First, the officer did not tell him he was under arrest. He simply ordered him around. You'd have a point if he was told he was being placed under arrest.

   Second, in some states, by signing a ticket you are conceding to the officer's statement of the events and lose the right to challenge them in court. If you want to make a statement of events contrary to the officer's, you have the right. I'm not sure if that is the case in Utah, but at any rate the driver should have been allowed to read what he was signing and the officer was pressuring him to just sign it. It is perfectly reasonable for the driver to what to read and understand what he was signing. If fact it is beyond reasonable, it is his right.

   Third, this is a totally inappropriate use of force. There is a huge line between drawing your weapon and firing it. The driver was not being unreasonable. i dare say he was being polite in the face of the the officer's "mightier than thou you worthless peon" attitude. A taser is a substitute for deadly force... a substitute. Unless that officer would have fired his gun at the guy if he didn't have a taser on him, his user of the taser is unjustified.

   This highway patrolman is an example of the 0.01% of officers that give all law enforcement a bad name. He's now going to be responsible for the hell that his fellow officers are going to have to go through weathering the media storm over this. He is going to be responsible for people being less respectful of UHP officers in the future because of his callous conduct.

   Posted by: Craig | Nov 21, 2007 5:47:12 PM

   
   

6. Here's the thing about the taser story: they were both in the wrong, acting like typical aggressive male douchebags.

   The motorist should have been more cooperative, and the cop had a taser trigger finger. Things escalated way more than they should have. But as an agent of public authority, the cop is ultimately in the wrong---especially given that he refused to read Miranda rights or define the reason for arrest.

   Tasers are just plain awful. The cop's billy club should have been sufficient.

   Posted by: Paul | Nov 21, 2007 11:56:58 PM

   
   

7. I loved the Keith Oberman story. He got the allusions to the protestors' performance art. Something "Fraido" didn't.

   Posted by: woodroad34 | Nov 22, 2007 1:58:20 PM

   
   

8. re: the taser clip, most cops and all highway patrolmen have cameras on the dash. do what they tell you and fight it in court or get tased and further made a fool of on the internet.

   You can't win at curbside, so why bother?

   Posted by: lexxicuss | Nov 22, 2007 2:13:02 PM

   
   

9. The young man in the teaser clip was obstinate coming across as a spoiled brat, his behavior got him what he deserved. If he had concerns with the offers behavior or conduct, he should have asked for a senior officer.

   Posted by: JKM | Nov 23, 2007 3:27:44 PM

   
   

10. Having lived in Utah (ugh! NEVER again!) I know that many UHP officers are, in my opinion, very smug and overly macho. Most of them have zero people skills and act as if they are above the law. The officer was way, way out of line. He let the situation get out of control. He never said the guy was under arrest, nor did he even answer the driver's question. If he had been reasonable instead of trigger happy, he could have managed this whole confrontation a lot better. I hope the driver gets a lot of money for this and I hope the officer loses his job. Police officers have a tough job, but idiots like this shouldn't even be in law enforcement.

    Posted by: Brad | Nov 24, 2007 6:15:11 PM

    
    

11. Where did they find this plastic surgeon? What a condescending clown! Most surgeons who lose a patient avoid all interviews, respect the privacy of their patients amd brace themselves for litigation. This guy is a disgrace to the profession. What did he hope to accomplish with his appearance on Larry King --- only to make a dramatic exit? Honoring the wishes of the West family??? I don't get it --- and I think he comes off as a publicity-seeking ass.

    Posted by: Richard | Nov 25, 2007 5:25:37 AM

    
    

12. I love the part when the second officer arrives and the Taser Happy cop tells him the steps and verbal warnings he took and gave to the driver prior to deploying the taser. (Can we say "Liar").

    Posted by: Edensasp | Nov 25, 2007 6:46:07 AM

    
    

13. I bet the guy and his wife are able to put the cop away for a long, long time, and get lots of money out of the state of Utah. The cop at least should lose his job.

    The police state goes crazier by the minute with its taser terrorists.

    Posted by: Jay | Nov 25, 2007 7:38:08 PM

    
    

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