Law Enforcement - Police-Sheriff Excessive Force Against Elderly Citizens With Dementia
64"They did a commendable job in using a mimimal amount of force"
A quote from the detective himself when an 87 year old woman with dementia was shot by police with a taser gun and died.
When 87 year old Phyllis Owens returned home from the hospital she was suffering from dementia. In addition she wore a pacemaker for her heart.
Hearing noises outside her home at approximately 2:30 PM she picked up a gun and waved it at a construction worker asking him what he was doing there "that time of night."
Terrified of an obviously confused little old lady waving a gun, the construction worker called police who were successful in talking her into putting down the gun. When she picked it up once again the taser was used on her.
Sadly, Mrs Owens died that evening.
After her death it was found that her "gun" was not a real gun after all - just a pellet gun.
A Doctor from the state medical examiners office said, "Owens had a history of heart disease and that was the cause of death."
Not So Surprising; when Journalists showed up, they were ordered to leave.
"A Commendable Job In Using A Minimal Amount of Force,"
on an 87 year old lady with Dementia?
(links to the stories below)
- News: Local | "Oregon woman, 87, dies after hit by stun gun" | The Register-Guard | Eugene, Oregon
- News: Local | "Woman hit by Taser had only pellet gun" | The Register-Guard | Eugene, Oregon
PORTLAND A Clackamas County sheriffs spokesman says an 87-year-old woman who died after she was stunned in a confrontation with deputies was armed with a pellet gun, not a real handgun.
Should Police Be Allowed To Use Tasers On Citizens?
See results without voting72 Year Old With Dementia Tasered By Police In Texas
More on the story here ...
- 72-Year-Old Woman Tasered: by TX Police on VIDEO - Care2 News Network
Elderly people with dementia don't stand a chance against an Austin, TX police officer with a Taser.
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I don't think it was commendable at all - cowerdly - but not commendable - My mother in law suffers from dementia - she is 86 and lives with me - if she gets aggressive - well - um - she is a little old lady - my teenagers handle her just fine - heck she really isn't that scary :)
I heard that story and I don't think police should use tasers on elderly people or children but there might be some circumstance where a taser would be better than a bullet on an adult. We are hearing enough bad things lately that it makes you wonder if they are not being used inappropriately too often.
after reading stories like this, you wonder what exactly is taught in the police academies. what a terrible way for this elderly woman to die. It's so sad to see how our elderly are treated. It's heart-breaking that people can live a lifetime to be mistreated in the last days of their lives.
I agree with you pamela99 but I think, any time one is used on a little old elderly person it is inappropriate
hey rebekahELLE :) glad to see ya here did you see the video of the little old lady in Texas? That was a mind blower for me its up above if you didn't catch it - watch it - and yes I do agree It is heart-breaking - thanks for reading :)
yes, I did watch it starme. I don't see a reason for using a taser on an elderly woman. what kind of training do they receive? it's like shooting an animal.
ya know , ya got a point , maybe I should do come research on what kinds of training cops get with tasers and write a hub on that - terrible video huh - I mean the little old lady did less than the college student and she got tased - the college student got drug out by like 5 cops and given a bunch of chances before he was tased - what the hell?
I'm horrified at the over-use of the taser. Thanks for publishing this.
They're taught to use a similar level of force to what they are facing. In your first example, where she was waiving a gun around, if it had been a younger adult, they would have been shot rather than tased.
As far as the lady by the truck, she was resisting arrest. Not much to argue about that. The taser is just another tool used by law enforcement. If the only knowledge of the taser you have is what you see on the news, then you really have no idea of how it is really used. The media is only interested in perceived misuse, they don't cover the numerous times that it is used every day.
um no , really she wasnt resisting arrest I think you should take another look ... seriously what did she do wrong in the first place?
He told her she was under arrest and she pulled away from him. That is resisting. Law enforcement is allowed to use necessary force to make an arrest. Obviously she did something wrong in the first place, thats why she was stopped and removed from the vehicle.
under arrest for what? She didn't do anything to be arrested for so the cop had no right to arrest her - we have constitutional rights in the United States read the first passage of my artical on dhs /cps violating United States Constitutional Rights - actually here it is
Under The Constitution of The United States Of America
"No man who is in a position of authority over them is above the law. Those who have been victimized have the real ability to seek civil and criminal punishment against those who use the authority of the state to act outside the law with impunity."
Police Officers are allowed to use for to make an arrest. How do you know the woman was driving without car insurance? In my state that is a misdemeanor and misdemeanors are arrestable. The elderly lady was fortunate not to get shot by a .40. Point any gun that looks real at an Officer then expect to get shot. Police Officers just want to go home at the end of their shift.
I think what happened was inevitable mistakes. We regret it happened, but we have no other choice. The police should not be unarmed. However, we can increase our criticism to the police, to keep the criminals stay away from our society.
seriously wtf? a 72 year old woman has to be tazed to keep her under control - come on - like she's a huge threat or something - the cop at the very least is a chicken shit is all I gotta say
Lita C. Malicdem Level 4 Commenter 22 months ago
Was it really commendable on the part of the police who used a taser to end the life of a helpless old woman with such condition (dementia)? And they got away with it? Shocking!