Posts Tagged ‘Police’
Cop Tasers Unconscious Diabetic 11 Times [Taser]
Posted by: Gadget Boy in Gadget News, Technology on December 31st, 2009
Chicago police officer Darren Pedota is at the center of a lawsuit filed by a diabetic man who was Tasered 11 times over the course of a minute while suffering from a diabetic seizure.
This isn't the first time an officer has found himself in a similar situation, although in many of those cases the police appeared to be unaware of the patients condition, and mistook the involuntary movements as an act of aggression. In this case however, Pedota was one of the cops called in with the EMT. The police were asked to help the paramedics move the patient off the floor when an involuntary movement of the arm struck one of the assisting individuals. That's when Pedota sprung into "action."
As you might expect, the man suffered injuries from the attack and has responded by suing the crap out of the department for battery, excessive force, and failure to intervene. Hope he wins. [Courthouse News via Fark]
Axon head-mounted camera records what police see when they keep an eye on Mayberry
Posted by: Gadget Boy in Gadget News, Technology on December 30th, 2009
Axon head-mounted camera records what police see when they keep an eye on Mayberry originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 30 Dec 2009 00:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Taser International | Email this | Comments Young Girls: Do Not Give Up Your Sexting Virginity to Half the High School Like This [Sexting]
Posted by: Gadget Boy in Gadget News, Technology on December 25th, 2009
Look, teenage girls of America: You have got to save your sexting virginity until you meet someone really special. Not some random "male acquaintance." Because that's when the police get involved.
A sexting case in Plainfield, Illinois (a lesser-known site of the sexual revolution) has "exploded into the largest sexting case Plainfield police have ever encountered." A 16-year-old girl sent out less savory pics of herself to "a male acquaintance" (?), and being presumably a 16-year-old guy, the shots didn't stay secret for long. Apparently over half the student body has seen them, parents, police, PTA members and probably President Obama are all freaking the fuck out, and really, this could be the end of the noble American experiment. Note: The source has several hundred photo galleries linked underneath the story. Do not be fooled, none of them contain nudie pics of 16-year-old girls. [WBBM]
San Jose Police Will Soon Be Required To Record All Interaction With Civilians [Crime]
Posted by: Gadget Boy in Gadget News, Technology on December 23rd, 2009
Sadly, stories about police discrimination and the Tasering of 10-year old girls are frighteningly commonplace these days. Officers in San Jose, CA have a particularly bad reputation, which is one reason why they are being outfitted with head-mounted cameras.
The kit includes a camera, a control piece and a computer that hangs from the belt. Every time an officer interacts with a civilian, they are required to activate the AXON camera. Afterward, the officer can switch the camera to a "buffer" mode that records limited video, or turn it off completely. At the end of a shift, the video will be downloaded to a central server.
A leading critic of the department welcomed the cameras as a tool to provide useful evidence, but dismissed their significance as a solution to rocky police-community relations.
"The AXON project is unfortunately a positive thing right now because the level of distrust is so high," said Raj Jayadev, director of the community organization Silicon Valley De-Bug. "But it doesn't address the more fundamental problem: What stereotypes police may carry when they see people of color on the street and make assumptions about character.
Since an officer can simply turn off the device at anytime, I don't think AXON will put an end to police abuse. However, keeping a record of these interactions can do nothing but help the evidence gathering process. Trials financed by Taser are currently underway, but reports estimate that a full-fledged deployment in the San Jose area would cost upwards of $4 million in taxpayer money. [Mercury News via Crunchgear]
Mom Calls Cops For Help With Son’s Gaming Addiction [Video Games]
Posted by: Gadget Boy in Gadget News, Technology on December 22nd, 2009
A 14-year-old boy's mother had enough with her son's gaming over the weekend. After turning off the console hoping he would stop gaming, she called police to ask for their help in solving her son's "addiction."
According to the story first reported in the Boston Herald, Angela Mejia had enough with her son's gaming when she found him playing Grand Theft Auto at 2:30 a.m. She told him to go to sleep, but he refused.
"Sometimes I want to run away, too," Mejia told the Boston Herald. "I have support from my church, but I'm alone. I want to help my son, but I can't find a way."
After unplugging her son's game console, she decided to call 911. Police came to Mejia's home and coaxed the boy into going to sleep.
"[The police] were just like, 'Chill out. Go to bed,'" Mejia's son told the Herald.
What Mejia's son did when he woke up is unknown. My guess: he played a video game. Yours?
This story originally appeared on CNET
Mom Calls Cops For Help With Son’s Gaming Addiction [Video Games]
Posted by: Gadget Boy in Gadget News, Technology on December 22nd, 2009
A 14-year-old boy's mother had enough with her son's gaming over the weekend. After turning off the console hoping he would stop gaming, she called police to ask for their help in solving her son's "addiction."
According to the story first reported in the Boston Herald, Angela Mejia had enough with her son's gaming when she found him playing Grand Theft Auto at 2:30 a.m. She told him to go to sleep, but he refused.
"Sometimes I want to run away, too," Mejia told the Boston Herald. "I have support from my church, but I'm alone. I want to help my son, but I can't find a way."
After unplugging her son's game console, she decided to call 911. Police came to Mejia's home and coaxed the boy into going to sleep.
"[The police] were just like, 'Chill out. Go to bed,'" Mejia's son told the Herald.
What Mejia's son did when he woke up is unknown. My guess: he played a video game. Yours?
This story originally appeared on CNET
Drugloo Toilet Prevents Prison Guards From Whipping Out The Latex Gloves [Toilets]
Posted by: Gadget Boy in Gadget News, Technology on December 18th, 2009
Man, what can't toilets do these days? The latest innovation, Drugloo, washes feces, separates drug packages and seals the evidence in a container—all without prison guards having to get their hands dirty.
Apparently, Drugloos are already in use at prisons, secure hospitals, police stations and airports around the world. There are several different variations on the Drugloo theme, but get a load of the classic version pictured here. I don't know about you, but I would have trouble "performing" on this cold steel beast—but at least you are in control. Sooner or later, they are going to develop a toilet that sucks the evidence right out of you. Then you'll be sorry. [Drugloo via ChronicleHerald via Fark]
Border security guards kill — literally kill — a MacBook (update: video!)
Posted by: Gadget Boy in Gadget News, Technology on December 17th, 2009
[Thanks, Itai N.]
Update - We've tracked down a video interview with Lily herself, which shows off a few more angles of the former MacBook and current article of modern art -- check it after the break.
P.S. - As always, we encourage a discussion. A sensitive, intellectual, worldly discussion. If you can't infer what it is we're asking of our dear readers tempted to intone on this matter, then please skip commenting on this thread, mkay?
Continue reading Border security guards kill -- literally kill -- a MacBook (update: video!)
Border security guards kill -- literally kill -- a MacBook (update: video!) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 Dec 2009 19:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink |Lily Sussman, Flickr | Email this | Comments Border security guards kill — literally kill — a MacBook
Posted by: Gadget Boy in Gadget News, Technology on December 15th, 2009
[Thanks, Itai N.]
P.S. - As always, we encourage a discussion. A sensitive, intellectual, worldly discussion. If you can't infer what it is we're asking of our dear readers tempted to intone on this matter, then please skip commenting on this thread, mkay?
Continue reading Border security guards kill -- literally kill -- a MacBook
Border security guards kill -- literally kill -- a MacBook originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 15 Dec 2009 08:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink |Lily Sussman, Flickr | Email this | Comments SWAT Team Called In Over a Lego Gun [Lego]
Posted by: Gadget Boy in Gadget News on December 5th, 2009
A normal night at the office got interesting when neighbors spotted a man with what appeared to be a pistol. The SWAT team was called in, only to find out it was a pistol built from Lego bricks.
According to an account on Jeremy Bells’ blog, he was hanging out at the office playing Call of Duty. Suddenly, the SWAT team was knocking on the door, and they sent more than just a few troops. Listen to this description of the event:
A co-worker said she saw at least 6 SWAT, 2 uniformed officers, 2 undercover and a chopper in the air. I’ve since been told that the surrounding streets were blocked off with five cop cars in total, two ambulances, and a dozen cops all taking positions of cover around the office.
That’s a pretty incredible response considering the complete lack of danger. Whether the response was excessive is up for debate, but if I were the police, and a someone sent in the highly convincing image above, I would probably panic too.
As soon as the team found out the “weapon” was made out of Lego Bricks, everyone went home. All’s well that ends well! As a bonus, the good people of Toronto can sleep well knowing that the SWAT team is very well prepared to handle this sort of situation. [CTV via Geekologie, Jeremy Bell. Thanks B3ND3R.]
