A follow-up to the Utah taser incident
 

Both parties were in the wrong here.

I tend to think the officer just should have written that the guy refused to sign the ticket and let him go on his way. The judge most likely would have told Massey that he didn't want to hear his sob story and hit him with the maximum fine.

Reading that it was Massey who posted the video on youtube, I have less sympathy for him. Yes, the officer should have not let it escalate, but Massey was just as much to blame for refusing to comply. If he doesn't turn and walk away and had kept his hand out of his pocket, the officer wouldn't have tasered him.

I anticipated this response. A better description may be that the usage was technically lawful, but it was NOT reasonable. However, when you have law enforcement agencies reviewing themselves, they protect their own. Hopefully the ensuing lawsuit causes changes in the use of tasers.

This quote about Gardner disturbs me:

I believe it shows what the troopers intent was all along.