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December 30, 2009

California Court Issues Major Ruling on Police Use of Tasers
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A federal appeals court has ruled that a California police officer can
be held liable for injuries suffered by an unarmed man he tasered during
a traffic stop. The Los Angeles Times reports the decision, if allowed
to stand, would set a rigorous legal precedent for when police are
permitted to use tasers. The ruling will also force law enforcement
agencies throughout the state, and presumably the nation, to tighten
their policies governing taser use. Monday’s court ruling stems from a
2005 encounter in which a police officer in Coronado, California tasered
a man after a routine traffic stop.



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