Whatever Happened to Cops Who Knew How to Talk People Down?

Yet more evidence that tasers are not an alternative to guns; they're a way for lazy cops to avoid talking down agitated citizens.

A horrifically painful and frequently lethal way.

From the Courier:

A Louisville Metro police officer used a Taser to subdue a man Tuesday morning, police said.

The man was standing in the roadway at Seventh and Jefferson streets was “acting bizarrely, trying to direct traffic,” said Carey Klain, a police spokeswoman.

Klain said the man became combative when approached by an off-duty Louisville Metro police officer and two Jefferson County sheriff’s deputies, leading the officer to use the Taser. A Taser emits an incapacitating electric shock.

The man, who was not identified, was taken by Louisville Metro Emergency Medical Services to University Hospital for evaluation. He was not believed to be injured by the Taser, Klain said.

No charges have been filed against the man.

Police spokeswoman says the man was not injured. I wonder if medical staff at University Hospital - or the man himself - would agree.

No charges filed - except for the blindingly painful electric charge administered to this man for ... no reason.

However much Louisville Metro police have budgeted for tasers, how about using that money instead for training on non-violent persuasion?