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Authorities have released dash cam footage of the Travis County Deputy Constable tasering 72-year-old Kathryn Winkfein for resisting arrest after being caught speeding on HWY-71.
In the video of the incident, which took place on May 11, Deputy Chris Bieze can be seen and heard calling headquarters as Winkfein stands near her truck, trying at times to get closer to Bieze, who repeatedly yells at her to step back. Later, when Bieze makes a motion to handcuff Winkfein, the grandmother resists, insisting that she's going to get in her truck.
By the time that Bieze finally pulls out his taser and warns her that she's going to get zapped, it's apparent that he's about to lose his cool. His voice rises an octave while he's shouting at Winkfein, who after getting tasered ends up partly off-screen but can be seen writhing on the ground and heard screaming.
Precinct 3 Sgt. Maj. Gary Griffin of the Constable's office stands by his deputy's actions, saying that Bieze followed protocol. The Sheriff's office, an entirely separate division of law enforcement, has a different opinion.
After being inundated with calls following the incident, Travis County Sheriff Greg Hamilton went so far as to issue a press release saying that the "deputy constable does not work for my agency," and that he disagreed with how the deputy handled the situation.
"When I look at the video I am in awe of what happened," he stated.
Griffin told FOX 7 that "there may be many viewers upset [that] we deployed a taser, ... but she made a very simple interaction with police a very difficult task."
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In "taser protocol training", can the police dept get tased?
Therefore they have an actual idea of when tasering is absolutely necessary in rendering a subject.
It's highly doubtful that this 72 yr old woman could've taken this officer down or was trying to harm him in anyway, but maybe he was weakened by her stubborn ways.
I am shocked. Shocked!
So when you don't listen to an officer of the law bad things happen... I'll have to make a note of that... Too bad common sense isn't that common.
That statement composed and released by Travis County Sheriff Greg Hamilton is crudely written. He repeatedly accuses the media of hyping the incident, claiming that the media is encouraging people to call his office. Makes him sound pretty ignorant.
Seth
It's the perfect accompaniment to the incident itself. Rage fueled and poorly executed.
If you watch the video, you see the woman was given 6 or 7 chances. The woman pushed the officer once, and a second time when he was trying to cuff her she pushed his hands away and said "I'm getting back in my car" a few times. Oh and the reason she was getting arrested is because she stormed out of the car yelling "go ahead and arrest me". So she got what she asked for.
If I was this officer I would seriously be questioning my status as a man, let alone a public servant. Seriously, he had no other choice? I find it hard to believe he couldn't muster up enough strength to control an elderly woman half his size. Yet again a trigger happy redneck with a badge enforces his own brand of justice.
I wonder if some of the people commenting have watched this video. She wasn't an old, fragile lady.
Facts:
1) The woman was speeding.
2) A policeman stopped the woman for speeding. She REFUSED to sign the ticket and ASKED to be arrested.
3) She REFUSED to corporate with the police officer.
Is there an age where someone is above the law? The support of the woman is idiotic.
Yeah, she refused to sign the ticket. The deputy should have then noted that she refused to acknowledge service of the citation, warned her that her refusal to promise to appear does not relieve her of her responsibility to appear, and sent her on her way.
Only because our "Peace Officers" have been trained to respond to any bad attitude with escalating force do we get these ridiculous cases of excessive force. If the deputy acted in a professional manner, this would have never happened.
Come on, deputy: be the grown-up. Don't be chided into going off half-cocked just because some cantankerous old crone doesn't lick your badge.
Yes I have watched the video. Just looking at the still shot above and seeing a man who is obviously a foot or more taller and AT LEAST 100 lbs. heavier with specialized training in physically detaining criminals you can tell he should not have and had no right to use a taser here. When you watch the video its even worse, you can hear the pleasureable anger in his redneck voice. Sick individual imo.
When tazers became standard issue sidearms for law enforcement, civil rights groups protested out of concern that the electric shock devices would be used as a form of cruel punishment without trial. Police departments (including APD) rationalized their use by claiming that the (mostly) non-lethal application of tazers would be to avoid using firearms where possible to subdue suspects. The tazers would save the lives of some suspects who would otherwise be shot with pistols by police officers.
Fast forward a decade, and taser use seems commonplace. In the olden days, police had a whole array of techniques and training available that would help them deal with annoying idiots: submission holds, batons, pepper spray, dogs, and even calming voice exercises. Modern-day police have had their jobs dumbed down when it comes to arrest resisters like this old lady. Use the taser.
The reason why people like Travis County Sheriff Greg Hamilton disagree with the taser application in this instance is that they can see opportunities for the officer to take control of the suspect without using the taser. This officer skipped the alternatives and chose a potentially lethal method of subduing this subject.
Seth
Well said, Seth.
What bothers me is the use of the taser as a tool of coercive force when it's meant to be a substitute to the use of their handgun. The old lady was way out of line, but these oafs need to learn some discretion as to when it's appropriate to jolt someone repeatedly with 50,000 Watts ...while simultaneously demanding them to put their hands behind their back. How exactly was she supposed to do that anyway when she's being crippled into the fetal position from the electric current passing through her body? BTW, that constable reminds me of Rod Farva from Super Troopers.
Deputy Dawg just wanted his liter of cola.
He had every right. He was protecting her from traffic, putting his own life in danger. She should have NEVER gotten out of her truck. How many videos have we seen of officers getting hit on the side of the road. He was right, she was WRONG.
She should have never gotten out of the truck or Tiny Dick Big Mouth should have never ORDERED her out of her truck?
For what it's worth, an 89 year old man opened fire with a rifle in DC and killed some folks at a museum. Is it out of the realm of possibility that a 70 something year old woman in a state where you're allowed to carry concealed handguns COULD be a threat?
If she had a gun, if she had a knife, if she reached for a gun, if she even had some pepper spray then maybe Tiny Dick Big Mouth's actions would have been justifiable. As far as I know, it's still legal to spout off to figures of authority. Anyone who thinks what Tiny Dick Big Mouth did was right needs to join the army.
I don't think what he did was right, but I also don't think the "she is an old woman!" argument holds too much value. That's all.
Fortunately for most people, the police are trained to escalate their use of force based on the actions of the suspect instead of what their actions 'COULD' be. By the rationale presented by wattage, police should just taser everyone who disrespects them.
Seth
Preemptive tasering restricted to the disrespectful? Why do you want to coddle all of those potential criminals?
The cops should double-tap every person they come across- just in case. It's better for every one of the "little people" to die than for one cop to suffer the slightest scratch to his self-esteem.
Agree with Grape Ape and Scooby. That officer's daddy should take him out to the wood shed and whip his hide... although that's probably where he learned to act that way.
And LM, careful. Using the common "small penis / tiny dick" allegory / association for mean thugs and officious bureaucrats can get your comments removed. But probably only if you're me.