And as to the fact that tasers are widely believed to be non-lethal, many people around the country have in fact died from being stunned with a taser, 3 in Minnesota, and 69 individuals in the U.S. since 2000, according to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer (http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/specials/tasers/deaths.shtml). Even rather mainstream news sources like CBS has picked up on this (http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/04/06/eveningnews/main610561.shtml). My concern with tasers in St. Paul schools is that officers in schools may feel more free to use them, given their purported non-lethality, and cause physical harm to students, as well as the mental harm that comes with living in an atmosphere of increased militarization and use of violent weapons in their daily lives.
Renee Lepreau Merriam Park
Pam Ellison wrote:
There is a need for this practiceasorry to say. Many students begin large fights in school. I can tell you that from experience, when these out of control teens start it up, staff, innocent students that have nothing to do with the fights, and others can be seriously hurt in an effort to stop the fight. I do not think that when and IF they are used there will be any rush to use them imprudently. We have severals students affiliated with gangs, and though the schools have zero tolerance for gang activity in the schools, fights DO occur.
In addition, there have been cases where even parents of warring students get in the act. Then you have a free for all, and unfortunately use of the taser may be necessary. I heard of a case recently where students and parents of students involved in a fight at a school, actually waited for one of the students to come out of school, and the parents of another student were ready to ambush the student about a block from school when she was trying to wait for a city bus. Luckily a staff member who had been involved in breaking up the fight noticed as they were driving away from the school to go home and stopped and told the adults (who, I might add should be modelling appropriate responsible behavior to their own child) that if they persisted they would call the police and they would be arrested.
Interestingly enough, when confronted in this way, the assailants saw nothing wrong with their behavior and felt they were perfectly justified because they had taken the dispute off of school grounds.
When you deal with this type of unbelievable logic and behavior, tasers may be needed.
This goes on in every high school and middle school in the city, no matter how dilligent the administrations of these schools are to set up rules and procedures, something can always go wrong. It is in these cases, that the tasers need to be used. Perhaps the fact that the press has covered the use of tasers in the school setting, will diminish some of this unacceptable activity by students and parents alike.
I think we need stiffer penalties for students and parents of students that cause violence to occur in our schools, we have very little strict action that can stick where jueveniles are involved, we also agree to educate many of these students beyond adulthood, and that should stop as well. When you are dealing with students with long histories of insubordinate behavior and violence, there should be a strict line of discipline drawn and students should have to graduate or pay for their GED on their own. Many times we just move these dangerous people around to other schools, instead of tell them they have overstayed their welcome in the Saint Paul School District and will have to enroll in school elsewhere. I think the pendulum has swung too far left, and we do not enforce the boundaries these kids need. ( Editorial comment is strictly owned and provided by me) Pam Ellison
Como Park
Saint Paul
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [email protected] Sent: Wednesday, February 02, 2005 8:51 AM
Subject: [StPaul] Wed, Feb. 02, 2005 School police add Tasers
Wed, Feb. 02, 2005 School police add Tasers
Department says they may reduce risk of injury
BY JOHN WELBES, Pioneer Press
...All St. Paul police officers stationed in the city's middle schools and high schools added Tasers to their belts this week, making St. Paul police the first in Minnesota to use the devices in schools. Tasers emit an electrical charge that temporarily immobilizes a person.
_http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/living/education/10791552.htm_ (http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/living/education/10791552.htm) Excuse me? Can anybody explain to me how this would be a good idea?
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