edden, a 33-year old pregnant Black woman, went to the police department on Nov 18th asked officers to take custody of her 1-year-old son. Instead of getting the support you requested ... she was brutally attacked and tased by a police officer.Trotwood Police announced that the probationary police officer who shocked a pregnant woman with a stun gun has been fired, and four others have been disciplined following a departmental investigation. Officer Michael Wilmer, who joined the police department in December 2006, had already been terminated for unrelated reasons, which included driving city-owned vehicles at excessive speeds and posting unauthorized pictures on his MySpace.com account.
The investigative report prepared by Trotwood Police Maj. Quincy Pope said Wilmer was justified in using a Taser stun gun to subdue the woman but committed an error in judgment and violated department policy by administering the device t
o the woman's neck, an area reserved for the most violent subjects.Wilmer also failed to summon medical help or ensure that photographs were taken and documented inaccurate information, all in violation of policy. Sgt. Richard Wright was suspended for one day for failing to see that photographs were taken of the woman's neck and to ensure that she received medical evaluation. Another sergeant was given a written reprimand for disseminating unprofessional messages. An officer received a reprimand for failing to document a domestic violence complaint, and another officer was given a counseling form for failing to properly log the use of a stun gun.
The Trotwood Police still don't want to acknowledge that the use of a Taser gun on this defenseless and innocent pregnant Black woman was wrong. However, they did get the right conclusion ... the taser-happy cop who fired the gun no longer wears a badge. I'm satisfied with the actions that they've taken to date. I hope that Valreca Redden takes them to civil court and gets paid big-time by suing them for their actions on that night.
What say u? Has justice been served?
6 comments:
I think you'd be hard-pressed to find anyone who says "no". Unless they want the whole department fired.
Great Job Villager, I'm sure your efforts to expose this crime against this young woman provided extra internet heat on this very important issue. Because of your initial report I decided to create the blog "Tasered While Black." You are so right, there are probably hundreds of incidents that go unreported in th media of blacks and others being tasered just because of the color of their skin. Tasering should be controlled if not outlawed. It is a lethal weapon that is being used by police across the country. Should black folks, or anyone for that matter, who resist arrest be electrocuted? Again, Villager thanks for keeping us informed.
One substantial judgment against a police department would do more to put an end to this crap than anything else. This looks like a good case to me, but I'm not a lawyer.
Woozie - I think you're right. In any case, I'm glad to see some degree of closure on one of these Tasered While Black cases.
As an aside, I'm getting ready to publish the Jan 2008 Black Blogger Rankings. You are currently ranked #202 (out of 591).
AAPP - Thank you for the kind words. Tasered While Black is a very important blog in that it provides a place to document the various incidents around the country which appear to be popping up all too frequently. You may have found lightning in a bottle with your blog.
For what it's worth, your blog has already moved up to #295 (out of 590) on the Black Blog Rankings!
Old White Guy - I hope you are right!
Post a Comment