Court holds police can be liable for injury caused by taser

The Wall Street Journal is reporting today that the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals on Monday agreed with a lower court ruling that an officer from the Coronado, Calif., Police Department wasn’t immune to a damages lawsuit filed by a civilian after a Taser encounter in 2005. In fact, the court ruled, the officer violated the civilian’s constitutional right “to be free from excessive force.” Click here for the opinion, and here are stories from the Wall Street Journal Blog, Law.com, San Jose Mercury News and the SF Chronicle. Professor Jonathan Turley has chronicled many reported cases of shocking news involving questionable use of tasers. Here are just a few examples. If you go his website and search using the word "taser" you will find many others, many with actual video footage of the event: Colorado Police Taser Unruly 10-Year-Old Boy Because Using Pepper Spray Would Have Endangered Officer Shock Video: New York Officer Tasers Mother in Front of Children After Minor Traffic Stop Ohio Police Taser Man After He Runs Into Burning Home to Save Sister and Friends Police Officer Tasers 10-Year-Old Girl Who Refused to Take Shower Pennsylvania Man Dies After Hit By Multiple Tasers Texas Police Shoot Dog and Then Taser Dog’s Deaf Elderly Owner For Failing to Obey Commands Alaskan Police Taser 81-Year-Old Minister in Traffic Stop Shock Video: Utah Officer Tasers Man for Traffic Ticket in Front of Pregnant Wife Sheriff Under Investigation After Allegedly Giving Taser to Man Who Appears on Video to Shock Son as Joke