Luckily for a driver who went into severe diabetic shock last month in Oklahoma, police arrived on the scene and called in an ambulance.
But not before they tasered and handcuffed him.
The 53-year-old diabetic man was tasered by police after they suspected him of being under the influence of drugs or alcohol and claimed he had resisted arrest -- even though he was actually in shock. The man's truck has spun out on an interstate after he lost control of his vehicle.
The video below -- broadcast by CBS News -- shows the scene in El Reno, Oklahoma last month.
"It's unfortunate in the officers' aspect and they feel extremely bad after they learned that in fact it was a medical need and not someone who was under the influence of an intoxicant, drug or alcohol," El Reno's mayor told CBS.
"A spokesman for the agency that certifies officers says it's state law for all student officers to learn how to recognize and care for type one and type two diabetic patients," the network added.
I can see how they could mistake it. But are they really so quick to taser people?
The video is here: http://www.digtriad.com/news/features/article.aspx?storyid=115481&catid=216 It's hard to see, but it doesn't look like he was being violent, just unresponsive.
There are policies and procedures that dictate what elements must be present and when to use force.
We are trained to recognize diabetic reactions...
But I am sick and tired of people second guessing and monday morning quarterbacking from the comfort and safety of their anchor desks or couches.
These are dangerous jobs people. When you dont have alot of time to make these decisions and you feel your safety is at risk...Guess what...I am going home after my shift.
Are mistakes made...sometimes. And departments learn and revise policy after each incident.
Overall, law enforcement has a pretty good batting average. Remarkable considering how often they get second guessed.
I defy critics to put their butts on the line for even one night.
Fine, I'll delete the post if you want me to. It's a story that caught my attention and thought I would share.
I feel sorry for the cops that they made a mistake, and they obviously regret it and will likely learn from it. But I also feel sorry for the guy, because I could see myself in his situation.
When cops make mistakes, they are of a higher profile. All I was trying to say is that cops are put in so many situations that dont have precedent or a text book resolution for that scenario. They are paid for their judgement.
Mistakes do occur and are learned from. I know those officers feel badly.
But these situations are not cut and dried. EVER.
I also put myself in the victims shoes. No one ever wants to see any one suffer.
However, as a part of law enforcement training, I have also been pepper sparayed and tasered. I know FIRSTHAND the effects...and I dont administer them lightly...believe me.
But how come no one ever puts themselves in the officer's position?
I don;t follow all the posts in the forum here, and thus don;t know everyone's backgrounds, but I assume from Dylan's post that he is a policeman, who, along with firemen and teachers are the 3 most underpaid and underappreciated professions in the world. My brother is in the criminal justice field and the military, and my father-in-law is a retired PA state trooper, and that has heightened my respect for the field as well. I hate reading stories like this one because you feel so badly for all parties involved. All professions have a few bad apples, and perhaps that was the case here, but I prefer to assume that the officers acted quite appropriately, which means they must feel just absolutely awful now over how it turned out. And you feel for the man and his family too and hope he turns out ok. Obviously I would be off-the-charts upset if I were the man or he was in my family, but I also understand that making split second decisions when you have to assume that your life is literally on the line even for what seems like a mundane traffic stop is one of the hardest things a person can be asked to do. I know I wouldn;t be cut out for the job and don;t fell any shame in admitting that - hence my respect and admiration for those who do it.
Let's just pray everything turns out all right for the man, and that the officers can recover from this as well and continue to serve.
I lived with an alcoholic / diabetic person for 20 years. There were many times it was difficult to tell if the behaviors I was witnessing were a result of diabetes or intoxication. I didn't have a tazer (probably a good thing) but I did have access to both fast acting insulin and fast acting glucose... either of which could do far worse than a tazer under if the circumstances are misjudged. Luckily, I never guessed wrong.
I feel bad for everybody involved. In my mind, it's hard to criticize the police officers in this case.
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That which does not kill me postpones the inevitable.
