BART Cop Reaching For Taser? Not Likely.
January 9, 2009 by Johnny California
Filed under Oscar Grant Shooting
Johannes Mehserle’s “I thought I was reaching for my Taser” argument is ridiculous. By all accounts, BART Police (like most other police departments) require cops to carry Tasers on the opposite side of their pistols — that way they have to cross-draw the Taser across their bodies before deploying it, making it a distinct physical experience from drawing the gun. In other words, pulling something out from your left side with your right hand is way different than pulling out something from the right side of your body with your left hand — through “muscle memory” you’ll associate one motion with your Taser and you’ll associate the other motion with your gun…in theory anyway.
The video clearly shows that Mehserle does not cross-draw. Grant family attorney John Burris tells the Oakland Tribune:
“They keep those Tasers on the opposite side of their gun hand, or in the middle, pointed the opposite direction so you have to turn your hand to get it,” Burris said. “No movement (on the videos) suggests (the officer) was reaching for anything other than the location where the gun was.”
Here’s an example of police Taser policy — a General Order from the University of California Police:
To Ensure that the Taser is accessible by keeping it concealed in a secured vehicle during the course of a shift or carrying the device on the officer’s person. Taser holsters shall be worn only on the opposite side of the officer’s handgun.
And here’s what one cop (well, he sounds like a cop) had to say in the officer.com forum, this is part of a larger thread about Taser holsters — posted back in 2006:
The Taser should also be worn opposite of your pistol (wearing it in drop leg on the same side is really dangerous!). As far as whether the Taser should be worn cross draw or straight draw, that should be preference. My preference would be straight draw on my off side, but policy doesnt allow for it. We are required to wear them cross draw, this works for me, but I’ve trained with it in that method and know my options for getting it out and into use quickly.
Also, Sam Spade’s San Francisco blog dug up a a lesson plan from a police training curriculum about the perils of holstering a Taser next to your firearm. We’re not gonna re-post it, because it’s so good — you really should read the whole thing. [Sam Spade's San Francisco Blog]
Oh and if you’re looking to become a BART Cop, you can apply for the job here. Good luck living in the Bay Area on $3960.40 a month (that’s BEFORE payroll taxes and all that crap are deducted). Geez — it makes you wonder…
My sincere condolences to the family of the murdered man. Most adolescent boys have some sort of fantasy about shooting a ‘bad man’. Some of these adolescents fail to grow up. A lot of these immature character types are attracted to police work for the ‘high’ and or ‘fantasy fulfilment’ gained by the general sense of having both power and control. This wannabe ‘officer’ appears to be a classic unwanted police officer type. Charge him for what happened and let the jury decide his fate. Democracy and the rule of law demand it.
Lawrence A. Oshanek / Calgary, Alberta, Canada
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Seth Hovis Reply:
January 10th, 2009 at 12:26 pm
Well Lawrence you are obviously a “pig” hater. And lets get one thing strait you don’t know anything about this officer or the whole situation. It was obviously an accident from the officers reaction on the video.
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Sorry Seth, I am not a ‘pig (your words not mine) hater’. I do know that he is no longer an ‘officer’ and that is OK with me that he would rather quit the job then face having to waive his right to silence. I do know that there is much speculation that he ‘drew the wrong weapon (read taser instead of gun)’ and that speculation smells bad (of an attempted assisted cover up) to me. I further know that a man is dead because another man shot him point blank in the back while he was in on his face in a control position and I further know the officer’s intent is an issue for a court and a jury to decide. As to my conclusion that this individual is of a type unsuitable for policing work, I would point out to you that he warned other officers to move away before he fired the shot … that is, he drew his gun and had time to speak and be heard by others (who reacted to him)before he fired a shot and in that time a rational man would (or should have) have realized that he had a gun in his hand and not a taser … Oh, we yet do not know if he was even in possession of a taser but I’ll look at the video’s frame by frame to find out He does not appear to be my kind of cop and in my experience, he is one who meets my offered profile! Oh, by the way, between my younger brother and myself we have just over 72 years experience within the both the policing and criminal justice systems and we both agree that the shooter should face a jury of good honest citizens …. and that attitude, friend Seth, is the difference between a democracy within which there is public accountability and a police state where everything done by someone who has been given power by the state is no longer personally responsible for what they do. Friend Seth, let the system work and let this poor excuse for a law enforcement official quit his job in peace … he has made at least one good character decision!
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can somone help me to cite this page for me please im writting a editorial articale for why cops should not carry a gun, if you help me thxxx!!!
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