Diabetic Woman Tazered

[Isis2200]

Up here in Oregon, the citizens have questioned the behavior of police officers lately such as a few of what were considered unnecessary killings. Here is one more case. What do you think? Should she have been tazered? Could there have been other ways to handle the situation?

A local family is questioning why a woman having a diabetic seizure would have to be tackled and shocked by police.

Authorities said officers went to the home on Northeast 76th Avenue to assist paramedics in dealing with a violent person suffering from some type of diabetic episode.

Brandi Hess and her family said she’s been what’s called a very brittle diabetic nearly her entire life.

Even with food and insulin, Hess’ family said her blood sugar will drop dangerously low, and nearly every time that happens, she becomes irrational and combative.

The family said doctors have not been able to find a way to help her manage the disease any better.

According to authorities, Hess was having one of those episodes on Saturday night when she allegedly punched one of the officers without provocation.

Police said the officer was kicked several times in the stomach and groin and a firefighter punched twice while they struggled with Hess.

Authorities said the office used the Taser gun in an effort to stop the fight.

"The next thing I know, I woke up on the floor right here in front of my coffee table. I had a bunch of people on top of me," said Hess. "My left arm was -- well my whole body was in a lot of pain because I had 8 to 9 people on top of me and my left arm was in a lot, a lot of pain. I was really confused because I didn't know what had happened."

After the Taser was deployed, emergency personnel was able to give medical treatment to Hess.

Police said Hess, the officer and firefighter appeared to be unhurt.

[Ashigaru]

When people get combative with police they tend to get tazered. They did what they were supposed to.

[Sweetpumper]

Sounds okay to me in that situation.

[__Kratos__]

I'm confused. Are people mad because they cops aren't all knowing psychics?

[Darlon]

What other way could there be? She got physical and the police had no choice but to Taze her.

[black dahlia 83]

If the paramedics were called and the police called to assist in subduing the lady. They would of realised that she was ill.

I just cant see the justification in using a tazer on an old lady who was having a fit of a sort. She couldnt help what was happening to her. The police should of just dealt with the situation without using such things.

But yeah this is just my opinion.

[Ashigaru]

So all diabetics are old people now? She is 26.

http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/i....xml&coll=7

Edited March 13, 2007 by Ashigaru

[Jules22871]

I guess they were just supposed to let her attack them until she was done? Think about it this way, if they had not used the taser on her, how long would her episode have gone on before they could safely treat her? She was in serious need of medical help.

What would have been said if they had done nothing and allowed her rampage to coninue and she died from this? They would have been wrong then too.

[Isis2200]

I guess they were just supposed to let her attack them until she was done? Think about it this way, if they had not used the taser on her, how long would her episode have gone on before they could safely treat her? She was in serious need of medical help.

What would have been said if they had done nothing and allowed her rampage to coninue and she died from this? They would have been wrong then too.

Yep, Williams, remember that saying "You're damned if you do, and you're damned if you don't."

When I first heard about it on the news, I thought "How wrong of them to do that", but after I read the article, I realized that's the only way they could've handled it so she wouldn't hurt herself or other people. I'll give you an example.

There are many people in this country who suffer from low blood sugar aka Hypoglycemia, and for many people, their blood sugar can crash (like it did for the woman in the article). When this happens, they are unaware it's from their hypoglycemia, and they exhibit the same thing the lady did. Sometimes they can get violent.

I knew of a man who was married and refused to eat breakfast and only had a cup of coffee for lunch. His main meal was dinner. Whenever his blood sugar would crash, he'd verbally and physically attack his wife. Despite many attempts by the wife to get up and fix breakfast for him or pack his lunch, he would refuse. Should his behavior also be allowed to continue then? I think not. I bet had she had a tazer gun, she would have loved to tazer this guy.

This type of behavior and the cause occurs more often than people think. We just heard about it in the news because she was a diabetic.

[Fluffybunny]

I have been beat up more than once by folks that are hypoglycemic...There is nothing quite as surprising as a grandmother that curses a blue streak and then catches you with a right hook to the jaw...

It is unfortunate, but when folks get into that state they can be incredibly strong and combative. I don't think the police were out of line; she looked like she was a big girl and not someone I would want to try and wrestle with which would end up hurting her a lot more than just the tazer...

[Thozzman]

That's sick and disgusting.

Those police officers should all be tazered five times each in public, and dismissed.

[Fluffybunny]

That's sick and disgusting.

Those police officers should all be tazered five times each in public, and dismissed.

Why?

[MUM24/7]

That's sick and disgusting.

Those police officers should all be tazered five times each in public, and dismissed.

If you re-read the article you'll see that this poor lady had to be restrained one way or the other.....Unfortunately her fits were too violent and uncontrollable, so they had to do something....

Luckily no one was hurt....I'm sure everyone involved was upset by the incident.....

[girty1600]

In most States any police officer who carries a tazer must fist be tazed so they know what it feels like. People having reactions to blood-sugar issues can become increasingly violent very very fast; I know because I'm one of them. I've never harmed a person while flipping out but I've broken/destroyed private property and not all of it was my own I regret to say. While a quick shot of thorozine (sp?) would have been ideal in the situation a taze or two is just as good at subduing a person who is blood-sugar crazy.

[Thozzman]

If you re-read the article you'll see that this poor lady had to be restrained one way or the other.....Unfortunately her fits were too violent and uncontrollable, so they had to do something....

Luckily no one was hurt....I'm sure everyone involved was upset by the incident.....

I'm glad that no one was hurt as well, but from what I've seen tazering simply doesn't make a person docile. After being tazered they tend to convulse and jerk around uncontrollably. I think if the paramedics were competent, they should have known how to handle the situation and get her under control using insulin or a form of sedative.

[Fluffybunny]

I'm glad that no one was hurt as well, but from what I've seen tazering simply doesn't make a person docile. After being tazered they tend to convulse and jerk around uncontrollably. I think if the paramedics were competent, they should have known how to handle the situation and get her under control using insulin or a form of sedative.

You are incorrect. On many levels.

The paramedics cannot just "give insulin", first off that will kill a person with low blood sugar, secondly how exactly are they supposed to get an IV started(not easy to do I can assure you) on a woman who is trying to beat the heck out of you? (not easy to do I can assure you). You also cannot sedate a hypoglycemic person.

The only thing you can do is wait for the person to go unconscious and hope they don't hurt themselves or anyone else, or you can try to restrain them hoping that you do not harm them or yourself trying to do that.

Paramedics do not carry weapons, and deal with diabetic emergencies every single day, so I don't see where you get off trying to determine their competency. The police did the tazing, and yes tazers do take the fight right out of you.

[ninjadude]

Right, not insulin, but glucose. Paramedics would be very familiar with this kind of diabetic fit.

But

If you re-read the article you'll see that this poor lady had to be restrained one way or the other.....Unfortunately her fits were too violent and uncontrollable, so they had to do something....

They did not *have* to tazer her. That's the most wrong thing I can think of doing to someone having diabetic shock. They're lucky they didn't kill her. The women needed gently restrained and glucose given. Fits can be violent and uncontrollable.

It galls me that people think it is ok, no problem, to tazer someone. Something *had* to be done?!! We are not sheep that need to be "controlled". Please get off my planet. Go back in time and live in Nazi Germany. When they come into your house and tazer you, I guess the rest of us will pay no attention.

[my_psychosis]

Right, not insulin, but glucose. Paramedics would be very familiar with this kind of diabetic fit.

But

They did not *have* to tazer her. That's the most wrong thing I can think of doing to someone having diabetic shock. They're lucky they didn't kill her. The women needed gently restrained and glucose given. Fits can be violent and uncontrollable.

It galls me that people think it is ok, no problem, to tazer someone. Something *had* to be done?!! We are not sheep that need to be "controlled". Please get off my planet. Go back in time and live in Nazi Germany. When they come into your house and tazer you, I guess the rest of us will pay no attention.

How do you gently restrain someone who is hitting and kicking the sh*% out of you? If you know please tell us cause I'm sure alot of people would like to know.

[Darlon]

Right, not insulin, but glucose. Paramedics would be very familiar with this kind of diabetic fit.

But

They did not *have* to tazer her. That's the most wrong thing I can think of doing to someone having diabetic shock. They're lucky they didn't kill her. The women needed gently restrained and glucose given. Fits can be violent and uncontrollable.

It galls me that people think it is ok, no problem, to tazer someone. Something *had* to be done?!! We are not sheep that need to be "controlled". Please get off my planet. Go back in time and live in Nazi Germany. When they come into your house and tazer you, I guess the rest of us will pay no attention.

Your comparing us to Nazi Germany??? I think the Nazi's would do a LOT worse than "tazer" someone.

[ToxicLogic]

It is unfortunate that the police had to tazer her to subdue her. I guess the real question should be, did they try everything in their power before tazering? If so, then they had no choice. Diabetic or not, if you are getting violent you shouldn't be able to get away with it. She might not have known what she was doing, but you can't let someone run around kicking people in the stomach and groin and just hope they'll wear themselves down. And don't think that I am not sympathetic to diabetics, my mother is a severe diabetic and I understand exactly how wierd they can get when their blood sugar drops. Some even get paranoid, I've seen it first hand, but in my opinion, if the cops tried everything, then they did their job.

[zimbob]

I have to admit that I am very sceptical of Tasers and there use.

I have had a look on You Tube and there seems to be quite a few incidents where a Taser was not necessary, because a person is suffering a medical complication means that the "professionals" involved should have the resources and abilities to resolve these challenges without resorting to violence, I don’t think that the families that live with Diabetics who suffer with similar medical symptoms resort to using a Taser! If the Police had no Taser what would they have done?

I also think it's a valid comment to mention that when a diabetic suffers one of these episodes they are unable to make a rational decision until the Blood Sugar Level has been stabilised, to put it simply they are not in control.

I have a friend that works in a "Hospital" for the criminally insane and they do not use Tasers to subdue these very resourceful and strong violent evil men, as I mentioned before there are alternatives.

I thought the use of a Taser was a novel approach to treating Diabetes and maybe it could be applied to these following medical conditions as well

Schizophrenia

Epilepsy

ADHD

Allergic Reaction

Toxic Seizure's

Tourettes

Trauma/Shock

Just because a member of society can legally electrocute another member of society does not mean they should or its morally correct to do so!

[StoneAgeQueen]

I'm a diabetic (type one since childhood for all you ignorant people that think only old and fat people get it), and this kind of thing is scary for me to hear, although I live in Ireland and they don't taser people here thank god. I never get violent when my blood sugar is low, just shaky and kind of pale looking. Please, never give a diabetic that has passed out insulin. You will kill them. If they have passed out try and rub honey or syrup around their gums. or if you can't manage that then wait for the paramedics to come.

Edited March 24, 2007 by StoneAgeQueen

[mariola]

If the paramedics were called and the police called to assist in subduing the lady. They would of realised that she was ill.

I just cant see the justification in using a tazer on an old lady who was having a fit of a sort. She couldnt help what was happening to her. The police should of just dealt with the situation without using such things.

But yeah this is just my opinion.

Well their is one more thing I don't think you are taking into consideration. Let's say the police tried to us another method, physical restraint ( as letting her go on with her episode could have also endangered herself), and during the restraint she was hurt (broken bone, bruises... etc)... then the police have to face a police brutality charge, and people would have said there had to be another way. Many times when people go into these episodes the adrenalin produces extreme strength, as remember they can't comprehend hurting themselves to stop short of their actions. Seems to me the safest way to avoid that would have been the tazer.

[ninjadude]

I guess I'll try to clarify. Tazering is a violent life-threatening act upon someone. It's like shooting a gun, hitting, striking. Restraining someone is a non-violent act. Especially if done to give glucose or to stop someone from hurting themselves.

I'm sorry but the police putting themselves in the face of someone in a diabetic fit is just asking for trouble and inflaming the situation. They needed fewer people trying to "help" and more sanity. It is not the job of the police to make sure everyone is calm and sheeple. No one in the article was having the **** kicked out of them. She did not need to be "subdued". She was not a criminal. This was not a drug fit that would give super strength. She needed quieted and restrained. People not helping should have left. Those capable of applying restraint (not weaklings) and glucose should have remained. If you can't see the difference, I don't know how else to describe it.

As for comparisons to Nazi's, you're missing the point. It's extraordinary state violence against people to subdue them who do need it. Of course the Nazi's did worst. But the idealogical threat that people who loose it, need to be subdued with VIOLENCE is very fascist. Worse, you don't even seem to be aware that you have fascist ideas.

[StoneAgeQueen]

I can't believe Tazering is used in a civilized society