Ohio Police Settle Lawsuit and Agree to Stop Using Tasers on Pregnant Women

Valreca Redden must be pleased. Villagers will recall that Valreca Redden was the young pregnant woman who went into an Ohio police station for help and ended up being tasered. Of course, police all over the nation have gone taser-happy in recent years. That trend may begin to turn around in Ohio where police agreed to curtail their wanton use of taser guns. [SOURCE]

The lawsuit was brought on behalf of Ohio prisoners, however, its implications may impact the rest of the citizens as well. The settlement says that deputies will not use Tasers against anyone who is not "resisting by use of physical force" or is "displaying active aggression" against them, or is posing a threat to the deputy or others.


The settlement grew out of a federal class-action lawsuit filed by the Ohio Legal Rights Service, an independent state agency that supports the rights of people with disabilities.

The Justice Department asked to intervene to keep the sheriff's office from "engaging in a pattern and practice of gratuitous, excessive and unconstitutional use of Tasers against arrestees, pretrial detainees and other prisoners, including pregnant women, incapacitated individuals and those with mental illness."

Please read or download the complete settlement agreement so that you can see for yourself the results of the lawsuit

This blog is hopeful that police departments across the state of Ohio will see the handwriting on the wall ... it is time for much more reasoned and responsible use of tasers!

Tasered Pregnant Woman Found 'Not Guilty'

We have some great new information to share with villagers on the seven-months pregnant woman tasered by police in Trotwood OH last year. A jury in western Ohio found 33-year old Valreca Redden not guilty of resisting arrest and obstruction of official business.

Trotwood police officer Michael Wilmer showed remarkably poor judgement during confrontation that last November when Redden came to the police department to see about giving up her one-year-old son. An investigative police report said Redden refused to answer questions about herself and the boy and disobeyed Wilmer's order not to leave.

The jury spent less than three hours in deliberation before telling the Trotwood police department that they were wrong. Wilmer was a probationary police officer in the Dayton suburb. He was fired the following month for unrelated reasons.

Hopefully this verdict will allow Mr. Redden to continue on the road to a blessed and positive life for herself and her children.

Cops Disciplined for Tasering Pregnant Woman in Ohio

Villagers, we have some good news to report on one of the stories that we shared with you last month. Valreca Redden, 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 to 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?

Police Fire the Cop Who Tased Pregnant Valreca Redden

--==[Drumbeats from msladydeborah tipped us to this story]==--
Al Sharpton's NAN Ohio chapter reports that the Trotwood Police Department fired Officer Michael Wilmer, the police officer who used a stun gun on Valreca Redden, a pregnant nubian.

Hallelujah! It is about time that justice occurs in Taser Nation.

Villagers recall that I was surprised that Officer Michael Wilmer was still working. It appears that he won't be working much longer.

When you use a taser gun on a pregnant woman who comes to you for protection and help then you are in the wrong line of work. You need to have your toubob butt fired!

Check out the video for yourself. Does it look justified to you?

Valreca Redden still faces charges of obstruction of justice and resisting arrest. I imagine that those charges will be dropped soon. The Federal Bureau of Investigation reviewed the case. It is good to see the federal government enforcing the laws. If they had done so in Jena when those three nooses were hung on the white tree perhaps we could have avoided the damage done to seven young lives (Jena 6 and the boy that they beat up on the school yard).

Anyhow, I'm glad to see that the police are trying to clean up their act. Hopefully, something similar will happen to the taser-happy cops in Wichita.

What do you think? Was the firing of Office Michael Wilmer justified?

[SOURCE]

Taser Nation Watches Valreca Redden and Officer Michael Wilmer On Videotape

Michael Wilmer is the Trotwood police officer that decided it was appropriate to taser a 120-pound pregnant Black woman. Over Analyze It beat the drums about this story earlier this week.

You can click here to read or download the police report.

However, a picture is worth a thousand words. Here is video recap with detailed explanation of what occurred on Nov 18th at the Trotwood Police Station when Officer Wilmer decided to use his taser gun on the back of the neck of Valreca Redden. You be the judge. Does this look like a righteous use of a taser gun?

I'm surprised to learn that Officer Wilmer is still working. No suspension. No administration duties assignments. He puts a pregnant woman down and it appears that his brothers in blue are surrounding him in love as if what he did is appropriate. Of course, it could be that police enjoy using that taser gun on people who pose no theat to them.

Villagers, what say u? Am I being too sensitive? Or does it seem like we are becoming a Taser Nation?

Valreca Redden is Another Pregnant Black Woman Abused by the Police

We heard the drumbeats from Yeah...I Said It blog. I think that Villagers will be outraged when they hear this story. Y'all remember we told you about a pregnant Black woman that was abused by police in Missouri?


It happened again. This time in Ohio.
Police officers used a taser with 50,000 volts of pure electricity on a pregnant 33-year old Black woman who voluntarily came to them for assistance. Keep in mind that this sister was not doing anything illegal. She feared for her safety, so Valreca Redden went to the Trotwood Police Station on Nov. 18 asking police to take custody of her 1-year-old son. When the police weren't helpful, she turned to leave. The police over-reacted ... I guess out of mortal fear of a 120-pound pregnant woman ... and used a taser on her neck.

I'll stop right here and let you see the interview with Sis. Redden now.

The FBI read the Valreca Redd Police Report and they are investigating the Trotwood Police Department.

I need to hear some village voices on this one. Villagers, what say u?