An incident last weekend is an example of why having law enforcement serve as traffic control officers is overkill.
According to an interview with John Sigg of Iola, he was flagged last Friday night by officers for traveling 34 mph in a 25 mph zone. In the ensuing action, Sigg was ordered to raise his hands and drop to his knees. He is 80 years old.
An officer then tased Sigg, after which he was taken to the hospital.
“I thought they were going to kill me,” he said.
SIGG’S fears are not unfounded.
In 2007, Chance Shrum died from being tased by Iola Police officers.
The two instances have haunting similarities.
In the wee hours of May 15, 2007, police used their tasers on the willowy youth, who, according to police reports, was spotted walking naked in the north part of town.
Shrum was unarmed.
Officers shot Shrum four times with their tasers. He died before an ambulance arrived at the scene.
The Kansas Bureau of Investigation found the police officers innocent of any criminal charges.
The incident continues to leave many unsettled and serves as a reminder of the excessive force sometimes used by law enforcement.
Cases like these are also why many communities are rethinking the practice of traffic stops by law enforcement officers.
One reason is that such stops use up valuable time and resources that could be better applied to more serious things.
Another is that because the officers are heavily armed, what should be a routine stop can turn into a more serious encounter.
