Madison police data show blacks -- were Tasered by Madison police twice as often as whites

Tasers used more on minorities, Madison police data show


Minorities -- especially blacks -- were Tasered by Madison police more than twice as often as whites last year, and more often than whites in three of the last five, police data.

Nearly six years after Madison police began arming officers with Tasers and four years after the controversial Tasering of a black high school student, police department records suggest minorities have the weapons used against them at a rate far out of proportion with how often they are arrested.

Minorities — especially blacks — were Tasered more than twice as often as whites last year, and more often than whites in three of the last five. In the other two years, about as many whites were Tasered as nonwhites. In each of the five years, nonwhites were arrested for about half as many crimes as whites.

Mark P. Jones, a professor at Rice University who last year co-authored a first-of-its-kind study that found a similar pattern in the use of Tasers by the Houston Police Department, said Madison’s Taser data is not enough to prove bias in their use. But he said it is worthy of closer study.

“What these data point out is that there’s potentially a problem,” said Jones.

Madison police question the validity of comparing arrest data with Taser use and contend that every Taser deployment is reviewed after the fact to see if it was appropriate and conformed to policy.

“It would be important to look at the facts in each case,” said Capt. Vic Wahl, who oversaw the program when it was first introduced. “The review process has worked. It’s not just a rubber stamp.” More HERE

• Descriptions of every Madison police Taser use since 2003

• Graphic: Arrests, Taser use by race

AAPP Says: There are so many black mothers seeking justice behind Police taser 'murders' of their sons

As reported by livesteez.com, in recent months, too many young black men have been injured and in worse cases died at the hands of police officials around the nation. In circumstances where surrounding environments are dangerous, who is there to trust when those who are supposed to protect are equally dangerous?

In the recent case of Robert MItchell, a learning disabled 16-year old who was tasered to death by Detroit police in early April, was believed to be "resisting arrest" when, in fact, he was frightened by law enforcement. The young man's mother, Renea Mitchell said Wednesday her son wanted "nothing to do" with police, reports CNN. More HERE

Lake Fong/Post-Gazette

Yvette Jennings, the mother of shooting victim Rondale Jennings Sr., reflects during a meeting with Erie NAACP President Andre Horton at the Abundant Life Church of Erie.

ERIE -- Yvette Jennings had never heard of YouTube.

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09137/970774-455.stm#ixzz0H7RwsQQ6&B

AAPP says: I guess we will continue to see the the growth of taser use. This as the YouTube video of white police officers laughing about killing a black man with a taser has reopened racial wounds in Erie. It's really time for Congressional Taser Hearings.