Most people in the UF community are surely familiar with the phrase "Don't Tase me, bro!"
If you aren't, the phrase dates back to 2007 when police shot a student protester with a Taser gun during a speech on UF's campus by Sen. John Kerry.
Whether this student warranted this engagement is a debate for another time.
However, the use of a Taser by police in the following scenario out of Marin County, Calif. was not only wrong but also bizarre.
On June 30, 2009, Peter McFarland's wife called 911 after he fell and hurt himself. But when the paramedics arrived, 66-year-old McFarland refused to go to the hospital and declined medical assistance.
The events that followed landed Marin County in court over a lawsuit filed by McFarland.
According to the suit, officers arrived at the home "without consent and without a warrant." However, police are often automatically dispatched during medical emergencies.
After McFarland made a comment about wanting to kill himself - a joke about how embarrassed he was for falling, according to McFarland's attorneys - the police became adamant about taking McFarland to the hospital.
McFarland then told the deputies to leave. This caused one of the officers to pull out his Taser, demanding McFarland come with him to the hospital.
When McFarland rose from his sofa, the deputy proceeded to shock him several times.
Obviously, a red flag pops up for every law enforcement officer when one begins talking or even joking about suicide. It is probably part of police protocol to ask the person to come in for medical or psychological assistance.
However, elderly people tend to be very proud and become quite embarrassed by things like falling or losing particular motor functions. Anyone with grandparents can attest to this.
In this scenario, the deputy should have used common sense and judged the situation on a more individual basis.
If McFarland did not want to go to the hospital, it should have been his choice. What business is it of Marin County officials whether McFarland gets treated for any injuries sustained from his fall?
Not only is this a problem, given the fact that McFarland was in his 60s and had just fallen, but why also did the deputy feel it was necessary to shock him with a Taser?
The issue in this case is not only police brutality but also the line at which the state stops trying to protect us from ourselves.
McFarland clearly was not hurting anyone and probably was not seriously injured from his fall. When the deputies arrived on the scene and were told to leave, they should have left.
The story does not mention if his wife was worried over her husband's joking remarks about suicide.
Luckily, McFarland won a $1.9 million settlement with the county to make up for it.
