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Politics : Impeach George W. Bush -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: longnshort who wrote (54096)	2/17/2006 2:15:20 PM
From: paret	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 93284

Police Shot Him, But ACLU Killed Him, Group Says By Susan Jones CNSNews.com Senior Editor February 17, 2006 (CNSNews.com) - Police in Antioch, Calif., shot and killed a man this week when he allegedly advanced on them with a carving knife and a meat fork. Although a bullet killed 27-year-old Scott Dittman, it might not have happened if police could have used a TASER instead of a gun, a law enforcement lobbying group said on Friday. The Law Enforcement Alliance of America calls Dittman's shooting the nation's "first real TASER death," and it pins the blame on the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California, which released a report in October, warning about the rise in Taser-related deaths. Police went to Dittman's house around midnight Tuesday, after he called to complain about vampires prowling outside, press reports said. Facing an armed and dangerous subject, police officers are entirely justified in using lethal force, the LEAA noted. But it called Dittman's death "exceptionally tragic" because police lacked less-lethal alternatives to subdue him. Although the Antioch police department has TASERs, police officials apparently have suspended their use because of legal and political concerns. In its October report, the ACLU of Northern California called for strong regulations on how police use the weapon. The report, "Stun Gun Fallacy: How the Lack of Taser Regulation Endangers Lives," was based on a survey of TASER policies and training in more than 50 police departments across central and northern California, the ACLU said. The report said that since 1999, at least 148 people in the United States and Canada had died after police shocked them with TASERS. "More than half of those deaths occurred in the past year, of which 15 took place in northern and central California," the ACLU said in a press release. The LEAA called the report "misleading and dangerous" and "junk science." In its rebuttal, the LEAA said the study made "outrageous claims, unsubstantiated charges and ill-considered policy recommendations," including a recommendation that local governments adopt new, more restrictive policies regarding the use of TASERs by law enforcement officers. "Sadly, the death of Scott Dittman was a predictable consequence of the dangers of letting the ACLU and politicians meddle with police safety and training," the LEAA said in a press release on Friday. The LEAA warned several months ago that the ACLU study would "handcuff" police officers on the street by giving them fewer options for survival in potentially deadly confrontations. Fewer options lead to dangerous results for police, the public and suspects, the LEAA said at the time. "While the use of deadly force may be justified in the line of duty, law enforcement officers prefer to have as many choices as possible to prevent having to take a human life," the LEAA said. "Public safety and officer safety is best served when law enforcement tactics are left to the experts and not politicians or special interest groups like the ACLU. The death of Scott Dittman is a tragic testament to this reality." The LEAA describes itself as the nation's largest coalition of law enforcement professionals, crime victims, and concerned citizens united for justice, and it says it "fights at every level of government for legislation that reduces violent crime while preserving the...right of self-defense."