One might wonder what sort of misbehaving these youngsters were doing to compel the Center to call the police, but then it’s likely that they, like so many others apparently, are somewhat confused about the variety of services offered by their local sheriff.  The menu is apparently limited.

According to the legal filing, quoted in the Mount Vernon Register, one deputy “physically pushed R.E. towards his bunk and shocked him repeatedly with a taser. … R.E. was tased multiple times to multiple locations on his person, including, but not limited to, his neck. Deputy Bowers shouted to B.B. to lie down in his bunk and physically forced him to lie down.

“Without physical provocation and/or physical gestures from B.B., Deputy Bowers held B.B. down on his bed and shocked him repeatedly with a taser. While he was tasing B.B., Deputy David Bowers threatened to sodomize B.B. As a result of this repeated and excessive tasing, B.B. urinated and defecated himself. Deputy David Bowers was aware that B.B. urinated himself after the tasing.”

The filing goes on to say that a 17-year-old female visitor to the center, who had pleaded with police to stop the attack, was grabbed by an officer, choked, and locked in a closet.

I wonder what made Deputy Bowers feel better about himself, having a child defecate on himself or locking a visitor in a closet.

We hear with regularity about how we need more laws, harsher laws, to protect the children.  No need to repeat it again here, as the refrain has been sung far too many times and we can all sing it by heart.  We’re left to believe that as bad a police may sometimes behave with evil adult perps, they have a “soft spot” for the children.  Would that be the soft spot where they apply the Taser?

Of course, none of the children were arrested or charged with any offense.  Whether it’s because none was committed or the deputies felt that they had adequately handled the situation without the need for further intervention is unknown. 

What is known is that there are far too many people who should have neither shield nor Taser, and that adults charged with the care of children but lacking the ability to handle them had better find another way to deal with their issues than calling the police. 

And, of course, “the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office says the deputies ‘acted appropriately’.”  “Appropriately” has now been officially redefined to mean, “whatever cops do, no matter what.”