What we should have on police are high quality video camera's recording from the time any incident starts until it's conclusion.

There was a proposal (and a limited rollout I think) to fit camera's to the tasers themselves which are activated when the taser is drawn but that does misses so much (all the lead up to an incident).

There will always be some dispute over the need for the use of such tools, what should never be in dispute is what actually occurred.

R0bert

If a bloke was tasered 13 times he must have needed it. They wouldn't do that for no reason. Nowing all of this was on camera.
Give the police the ok until they are found otherwise.

Anyone here been in a position where you had to make choices about which means to stop an offender?.

Anyone here come up against someone on steroids, various drugs, alcohol, mental illness on all three?.

No?, didn't think so.

Exactly Stg. It's a hard job, and it's human nature to use the easier alternative. Zap em! Ask questions later. That's what any sane person would do. It's just a job.

The tool is there to use. People who don't want the tool available are in favour of protecting the mentally ill from possible death or unfair usage at the expense of injured police. Those happy with the tool want the reverse.

The problem lies with human emotion. People are irrational, they make wrong decisions in the heat of the moment, they can be a-holes whether they are authority figures or not.
To expect police, the PEOPLE on the front line copping abuse and being attacked to act calmly and not slip up in every instance is ignorant.

With authority comes ego, pride, fear, pressure, name it, maybe additional screening and/or training before making the police force is necessary if people don't want incidents like this to occur.
I would also suggest a form of surveillance to be considered to stop police acting outside of what is expected of them.

Why don't people highlight the good the cops do?. The alternative to the taser and spray is shooting them.

Anyone here want to tackle a 120 kilo 6 foot something angry drunk, or someone on ice?. Should they go in and wrestle someone for a machete or syringe?. Would anyone volunteer for that?. With the amount of violence the police deal with every day it amazes me there isn't more unfortunate deaths.

If you're anti-police, don't call them when you're in trouble. Try talking someone down yourself, see how you go.