Friday, May 7, 2010

Friday Fun Post: To Taser or Not to Taser

Did you know Taser stands for Thomas A Swift's Electric Rifle? Fascinating. The electronic weapon's inventor was inspired to name his company after a favorite childhood book. Anyway, you may know that earlier this week a Philadelphia Phillies fan (the gift that keeps on giving) ran out onto the field of play during a game. He eluded security staff and police for several moments until he was subdued by a Philadelphia police officer using a Taser weapon.

Philadelphia Police Chief Charles Ramsey (former DC Police Chief) has, not surprisingly, declared the officers actions as appropriate. Straw pols among fans and players indicate that most are OK using this type of force in order to deter fans from running of the field or to stop them once they have run onto the field. I'm not so sure. Seems a little excessive in my book of tactics. Can't we just tackle the guy and charge him with a serious trespassing offense? But, to some, having a possibly intoxicated or player-obsessed fan running around, interrupting the game, counts as a more serious offense. For what it's worth, the Phillies now have a new policy in place which calls for stadium security to handle runners; without Philadelphia Police and without Tasers. Did they make the tight call?