Miami Student

Originally posted by

Former Miami Staff

Do I think it was appropriate for the officer use his taser gun - I can't say, I wasn't in his shoes to determine if he felt threatened. But do I think it's okay for the general public to trash and criticize the work of a police officer when they have probably never been in a daily situation of having their life threatened - no I do not.

I'm not placing blame anywhere because that won't bring him back. But, I think we need to consider that one action lead to another. Had Mr. Piskura refrained from consuming the amount of alcohol that he consumed, perhaps this article wouldn't have been written. In his defense, I've seen quite a few stone-sober people that have flown off the handle and gotten tased.

So the point is, who are we to pass judgement on the officer who was doing what he was trained to do if we aren't willing to pass judgement on the student for consuming enough alcohol to bring his BAC level to a .314?

Really? It's that type of attitude towards the OPD that allows officers to use such excessive force in the first place! The Officer's "putting his life at risk every day"? IT'S OXFORD! This is not Over the Rhine we're talking about here. This student didn't have a weapon, he wasn't going to kill the cop. Isn't this what pepper spray was invented and distributed for? Tasing a student should be the absolute LAST option in a situation such as this. Like many other OPD officers, this cop was in a position of power and acted irresponsibly and excessively. I have a few Cincinnati Police Officers in my family and I guarantee they wouldn't have needed a taser to control this guy. If you can't handle a drunk college student without a taser you shouldn't have a badge, period.
The truth is something most Miami Staff and Oxford officials won't want to admit: YET AGAIN the OPD has acted irresponsibly and failed to do their job protecting and serving. This fits right in with the stellar drug trafficking busts they made earlier this year, most of which couldn't even carry more than a misdemeanor conviction. They raid a house which is considered a "coke house" on a Tuesday and find less than a half gram of cocaine. Bravo. It doesn't take a genius to realize that cocaine is a party drug and is therefore most likely to be sold and "in stock" on and around the weekends. Common sense, folks. This police department does little more than right parking/underage consumption tickets to increase revenue to an otherwise poor rural town. It is a joke and a disgrace to law enforcement and until people in power realize this these "incidents" will continue to happen. I offer my regards and apologies to the victims family for this horrid abuse of power by what was most likely another hot headed OPD officer. Way to go Officer Robinson, guess you're big man on campus now.

Oh and by the way, last time I checked a BAC of .314 is not nearly as bad as murder, wouldn't you agree?

I guess I don't have to ask what line of work you are in to witness so many taser incidents. I also do not think it is reasonable to continue to beat people over the head with his BAC. I understand you were using the indirect method but still come on. I have lived in Oxford a long time prior to the tase days and I cannot recall the last time an officer used deadly force. I would be willing to bet I could count the number of discharged rounds on one hand and I'm no spring chicken. You talk about the daily situation of these officers like they are in a war zone. You must not be from Oxford.
I do think the city has a large number of very good officers and a good force in general but some things still need to change. These toys that were purchased to protect have started to collect some real nasty statistics. Yes, I do feel that these are toys to the officers. The officer that tased Mr. Piskura basically used a combination of a poor training method and lackadaisical effort. Instead of using what has statistically worked for the OPD over many years they just got lazy with a deadly weapon. Basically the policy needs to change and the OPD needs to start listening to its citizens. Stop searching for silly reasons to ticket people and just get to understand them a little more.

Wow. I'm all for personal responsibility and perhaps he should have paid a price for his actions. But death? Really? Do you take this approach with all victims? Are rape victims asking for it because they were wearing short skirts? Are elderly victims at fault because they are too slow and should just stay home? Was America asking for September 11th because of our way of life and our foreign policy? I suppose you would suggest that if my family (we've lived in Oxford for 2 years) is a victim of abuse by the OPD we assumed the risk just by living here. Maybe it's time to move.

Originally posted by

Interested Alumnus

I remember the feeling of Us vs. Them when I was a student many years ago. What I do not remember, though, is the feeling that we had the right to break the rules (or laws) without fear of recourse or responsibility. It amazes me that so many students leap to the conclusion that the policeman involved was incorrect in handling the situation by using an accepted method of subduing an unruly and uncooperative drunk. It is sad and tragic that this situation resulted in the death of a young man. Perhaps the extreme amount of alcohol in his bloodstream contributed to his reaction to the tasering. For whatever reason, his death was surely unforseeable by anyone involved and not the result of any malice or negligence by the policeman. If the student had been clubbed or beaten, such bitter reactions would be more understandable. But using an accepted form of police action cannot be construed as harassment in any sense of the word. Review the policy? Sure, but if the use of tasers is accepted in police departments, and communities, around the country, why should Oxford be forced to accept a lower standard? I am deeply saddened by the death of this young man. Hopefully all involved, and those who just want to point the finger of blame, will learn from the circumstances and such a tragedy will not ever be repeated.

Comment:
This "accepted form of police action" has continuosly been coming under scrutiny due to tragedies, like the event in Oxford. Please see the quote below from a report by Amnesty International to a recent Department of Justice Inquiry on this topic. "AI is calling on all governments and law enforcement agencies to either cease using Tasers and similar devices pending the results of comprehensive, independent studies into their use and effects, or limit their use to situations where officers would otherwise be justified in resorting to deathly force, where no lesser alternatives are available. Strict guidelines and monitoring should govern all use of taser-type weapons."
Evidence continues to mount highlighting the need to review the policies and standards surrounding these devices. Please do not construe my comments as a lack of support for the OPD officers, but a call for leadership in recognizing the gaps in this policy and making any necessary changes.

Mary Lester "79"

Thanks for your assurance, Mr. Matthews. As a member of a school paper whose staff has inaccurately criticized John Boehner's earmarks record and tried to downplay the role the College Republicans played in the Primary elections, I find it hard to believe what you say. The quality of the school paper has steadily decreased during my years at Miami. I know it's the oldest university newspaper in the US, but I think it's more important to make sure that it's the best.

Dave Matthews, Editor of Paper:

To answer your question you posed to me as a defense against my earlier indictment of your reporting:
"How about you just send Steve Schwein and the Sheriff of Butler County an e-mail asking them to disclose every piece of memoranda and all the transcripts of the interviews that oversight conducted when they were considering personnel and disciplinary decisions within the OPD?" That's a fair question, but you proved my point; did the paper's reporters do exactly that? I personally e-mailed Chief Schwein, stating my concerns, 3 days after the incident and he was gracious enough to e-mail me back almost immediately, stating his position that due process had to run its course. Fine. You, however, are the editor of the paper, and you and your staff should be up everyone's rear ends attempting to glean the truth of the events as they unfolded. You are in the town where this occurred; a death occurred at the hands of the Oxford PD, however indirectly. You are the editor of the University student paper. Do you simply accept the account of the department and what may be in the Butler County Sheriff's investigation, or do you try to fulfill the responsibility to the paper, to the M.U. students past, present, and future, to Oxford, and most importantly, to the dead man's family and friends? Have you personally contacted the Hamilton County Coroner's Office and demanded an explanation in writing as to why the cause of death has not been stated, 77 days after the young man died?? I would start there.

Where is your report of O.P.D.'s Practices and Procedures Policy Standards? That is public record and you should know that and have it sitting in your files. That may (or may not) reveal a lot regarding this tragedy. Have you attempted to interview numerous officers and any witnesses with knowledge of the night's events? Have you and your staff been stonewalled by everyone in law enforcement within Butler County? That may well be newsworthy to all readers.

What you're not quite getting is that it is weak reporting when judged against the enormity of events that evening, culminating in the death of one of your own, an MU alum (however drunk and disorderly he may-or may not- have been). I hope you'll represent the position you currently hold on the paper's staff with a higher standard of journalism than is evidenced thus far. The public trust depends on the balancing act between a free press and government actions.

You stated further that: "I think you'll find that this is the most in-depth coverage of the Sheriff's findings, and this incident in general, anywhere." My only reply is: That's sad, because a lot of peoples lives (and one person's death) are hanging in the balance. FIND THE TRUTH. Then you'll have done your work.

Originally posted by

this is lovely

I'm sad that they no longer have tasers. Now when I go out and get drunk and fight with the cops I guess they will just shoot me with there gun. Or maybe because i'm a big girl I should do what is asked of me by cops or bouncers at a bar. You know they are just doing there job. Do you have a job were someone is trying to hit you. Think about the other side. You don't like it maybe you should become a cop and walk in those shoes.

You people act like Oxford police are patrolling Compton or something. If you can't handle a drunk college kid without a taser, resign. People get drunk in college, that's never going to change. If you want to be a police officer in a college town where students don't occasionally get drunk and out of hand, I suggest you patrol BYU. There's never been a need for tasers in the long history of this school and within a year of deployment a recent graduate is killed. How can you POSSIBLY justify this? You obviously either didn't go to college or you had a rather boring experience if you've never drank too much at a bar.