WashPost editorial page gets it right on Taser policies

Rare is it that I write something positive about the Washington Post's editorial page. But their piece Monday on Tasers hit many of the right points.

The editorial was hooked to two recent events: a post-Taser death in Arlington, and the guy who ran on the baseball field in Philadelphia who was tased by a police officer.

Team Hiatt writes:

... the Philadelphia police commissioner, Charles Ramsey, who reviewed video of the incident, said his officer had acted within department guidelines. That's the problem.

Exactly. The department policies vary widely across the country on Taser use. Most of them aren't great, and a good chunk -- probably about 20% or so -- are terrible, allowing Taser use on people who aren't physically resisting in any way whatsoever (100% "pain compliance" techniques, which some courts have found un-constitutional vis a vis the 4th amendment).

Often, after an egregious Tasering is in the news after being caught on camera, it turns out a few days later that the officer had acted within the department's policy. That was the case with the Don't Tase Me Bro guy, for example.

It's usually not so much about the individual officer as the rules. Those rules are set department-by-department. That should be the focus. Good for the Post for giving that point some attention.