News Topic - NAACP
Articles 21 - 30 of most recent articles
Group pushes for restrictions on Tasers
An N.C. advocacy group pushing for more education and restrictions on the use of Taser stun guns is contacting police departments across the state to share a study on the device's risks.The Charlotte-Mecklenburg department, which is reviewing its Taser policy after the death of a 17-year-old stunned by an officer, is one of the departments contacted by the Taser Safety Project. The group's officials say they're especially worried about CMPD's use of Tasers on minors.The project released a study in April that reviewed use of the devices by N.C. sheriff's offices and found that improper use of Tasers contributed to 11 deaths in the previous four years. The project was a coalition of the N.C. Chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, the Arc of North Carolina, the NAACP and others.“No one in the coalition is trying to ban the use of Tasers by law enforcement. It's better than a bullet,” said Jennifer Rudinger, the executive director of the ACLU's N.C. office in Raleigh. “But there's definitely a feeling that there needs to be more awareness of the risks Tasers pose and better training to educate law enforcement about those risks. It needs to be more of a last resort than what it currently is.”On Wednesday, CMPD announced that it had suspended Officer Jerry Dawson Jr. for five days without pay for violating department policy when he used a Taser on 17-year-old Darryl Turner.Dawson shocked Turner for 37 seconds during a confrontation at a north Charlotte grocery store on March 20. Turner, a store employee, died of cardiac arrest. An autopsy showed his heart was pumping so fast and chaotically from the stress of the confrontation and Taser shot that it stopped pumping blood properly.It was the first Taser-related death in department history and the 13th in the Carolinas this decade; Turner was the youngest of the 13. The next-youngest who died was 28.A police department review concluded that Dawson should not have shocked Turner for as long as he did. The department teaches officers to pull and immediately release the Taser trigger to deliver a five-second shock, although officers may repeatedly pull the trigger in extreme circumstances when necessary to control a suspect. Holding down the trigger violates department policy.The Taser Safety Project surveyed only sheriff's offices, not police departments. It found that sheriff's offices in 70 of the state's 100 counties issue Tasers to some or all of its deputies, but that many agencies lack clear policies about when and how they should be used.Since last year, when the coalition began contacting sheriff's offices, 15 have adopted new policies on Taser safety, though not CMPD, Rudinger said. Seven have adopted prohibitions or restrictions of the use of the devices on minors, she said.The coalition is trying to decide how many police departments statewide to contact. It has sent copies of its study, “Not There Yet: The Need for Safer Taser Policies in North Carolina,” to the state's 25 largest police departments, including CMPD. The coalition worries especially about the effects of Tasers on minors, the elderly and the disabled, who might not be able to withstand even the typical five-second shock, Rudinger said.Tasers typically use compressed nitrogen to shoot two tethered, needlelike probes into skin, delivering a debilitating but temporary electric shock. CMPD has used the devices since 2004, and law enforcement agencies nationwide have praised them as less lethal alternatives to firearms.But critics say their effects haven't been studied enough: Amnesty International, the worldwide human-rights organization, says at least 290 people have died after shocks from U.S. law enforcement Tasers since mid-2001, when it began tracking Taser-related injuries and deaths.
Charlotte.com – Jul 20, 2008 11:45 AM [GMT] ¦ comment?
found in Local: North Carolina: Charlotte
An N.C. advocacy group pushing for more education and restrictions on the use of Taser stun guns is contacting police departments across the state to share a study on the device's risks.The Charlotte-Mecklenburg department, which is reviewing its Taser policy after the death of a 17-year-old stunned by an officer, is one of the departments contacted by the Taser Safety Project. The group's officials say they're especially worried about CMPD's use of Tasers on minors.The project released a study in April that reviewed use of the devices by N.C. sheriff's offices and found that improper use of Tasers contributed to 11 deaths in the previous four years. The project was a coalition of the N.C. Chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, the Arc of North Carolina, the NAACP and others.“No one in the coalition is trying to ban the use of Tasers by law enforcement. It's better than a bullet,” said Jennifer Rudinger, the executive director of the ACLU's N.C. office in Raleigh. “But there's definitely a feeling that there needs to be more awareness of the risks Tasers pose and better training to educate law enforcement about those risks. It needs to be more of a last resort than what it currently is.”On Wednesday, CMPD announced that it had suspended Officer Jerry Dawson Jr. for five days without pay for violating department policy when he used a Taser on 17-year-old Darryl Turner.Dawson shocked Turner for 37 seconds during a confrontation at a north Charlotte grocery store on March 20. Turner, a store employee, died of cardiac arrest. An autopsy showed his heart was pumping so fast and chaotically from the stress of the confrontation and Taser shot that it stopped pumping blood properly.It was the first Taser-related death in department history and the 13th in the Carolinas this decade; Turner was the youngest of the 13. The next-youngest who died was 28.A police department review concluded that Dawson should not have shocked Turner for as long as he did. The department teaches officers to pull and immediately release the Taser trigger to deliver a five-second shock, although officers may repeatedly pull the trigger in extreme circumstances when necessary to control a suspect. Holding down the trigger violates department policy.The Taser Safety Project surveyed only sheriff's offices, not police departments. It found that sheriff's offices in 70 of the state's 100 counties issue Tasers to some or all of its deputies, but that many agencies lack clear policies about when and how they should be used.Since last year, when the coalition began contacting sheriff's offices, 15 have adopted new policies on Taser safety, though not CMPD, Rudinger said. Seven have adopted prohibitions or restrictions of the use of the devices on minors, she said.The coalition is trying to decide how many police departments statewide to contact. It has sent copies of its study, “Not There Yet: The Need for Safer Taser Policies in North Carolina,” to the state's 25 largest police departments, including CMPD. The coalition worries especially about the effects of Tasers on minors, the elderly and the disabled, who might not be able to withstand even the typical five-second shock, Rudinger said.Tasers typically use compressed nitrogen to shoot two tethered, needlelike probes into skin, delivering a debilitating but temporary electric shock. CMPD has used the devices since 2004, and law enforcement agencies nationwide have praised them as less lethal alternatives to firearms.But critics say their effects haven't been studied enough: Amnesty International, the worldwide human-rights organization, says at least 290 people have died after shocks from U.S. law enforcement Tasers since mid-2001, when it began tracking Taser-related injuries and deaths.
Charlotte.com – Jul 20, 2008 11:45 AM [GMT] ¦ comment?
found in Local: North Carolina: Charlotte
Week in Review
Cincinnati got a double dose of pre-presidential pandering when both major party candidates came to town to address the NAACP convention.
Cincinnati Enquirer – Jul 20, 2008 08:21 AM [GMT] ¦ comment?
found in Local: Ohio: Cincinnati
Cincinnati got a double dose of pre-presidential pandering when both major party candidates came to town to address the NAACP convention.
Cincinnati Enquirer – Jul 20, 2008 08:21 AM [GMT] ¦ comment?
found in Local: Ohio: Cincinnati
Leavell funeral set for Wednesday
The funeral for former NAACP president of Columbus is set for Wednesday in Brunswick, Ga., a family member said Saturday.
Ledger-Enquirer.com – Jul 20, 2008 02:38 AM [GMT] ¦ comment?
found in Local: Georgia: Columbus
The funeral for former NAACP president of Columbus is set for Wednesday in Brunswick, Ga., a family member said Saturday.
Ledger-Enquirer.com – Jul 20, 2008 02:38 AM [GMT] ¦ comment?
found in Local: Georgia: Columbus
Local NAACP president back from convention
STEUBENVILLE - A local civil rights leader said he was "energized by the training and speakers" last week at the 99th-annual national convention of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.Royal Mayo, president of the Steubenville branch of the NAACP, described the five-day national convention in Cincinnati as "exciting and motivational.""It was great to meet with people
Steubenville Herald-Star – Jul 20, 2008 01:20 AM [GMT] ¦ comment?
found in Local: West Virginia: Wheeling
STEUBENVILLE - A local civil rights leader said he was "energized by the training and speakers" last week at the 99th-annual national convention of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.Royal Mayo, president of the Steubenville branch of the NAACP, described the five-day national convention in Cincinnati as "exciting and motivational.""It was great to meet with people
Steubenville Herald-Star – Jul 20, 2008 01:20 AM [GMT] ¦ comment?
found in Local: West Virginia: Wheeling
Community News Briefs
The Long Beach Branch of the NAACP today will hold the first of a series of workshops with the Long Beach Police Department.
Long Beach Press Telegram – Jul 19, 2008 5:08 PM [GMT] ¦ comment?
found in Local: California: Los Angeles
The Long Beach Branch of the NAACP today will hold the first of a series of workshops with the Long Beach Police Department.
Long Beach Press Telegram – Jul 19, 2008 5:08 PM [GMT] ¦ comment?
found in Local: California: Los Angeles
Bangs employee accuses City Council member of using racial slur
The NAACP has launched an investigation into an allegation made by a Bangs employee involving a member of the City Council.
Abilene Reporter-News – Jul 19, 2008 04:45 AM [GMT] ¦ comment?
found in Local: Texas: Abilene-Sweetwater
The NAACP has launched an investigation into an allegation made by a Bangs employee involving a member of the City Council.
Abilene Reporter-News – Jul 19, 2008 04:45 AM [GMT] ¦ comment?
found in Local: Texas: Abilene-Sweetwater
NAACP leader Leavell, 80, dies
Leonard Leavell, the driving force behind the local NAACP for nearly a decade in Columbus, died late Thursday. He was 80.
Ledger-Enquirer.com – Jul 19, 2008 04:14 AM [GMT] ¦ comment?
found in Local: Georgia: Columbus
Leonard Leavell, the driving force behind the local NAACP for nearly a decade in Columbus, died late Thursday. He was 80.
Ledger-Enquirer.com – Jul 19, 2008 04:14 AM [GMT] ¦ comment?
found in Local: Georgia: Columbus
NAACP push sees flagging support
COLUMBIA — The Confederate battle flag that flutters 30 feet above one of this city's busiest streets still draws a mix of head shakes and shrugs from South Carolina residents. Some are upset the banner was removed from the statehouse dome eight years ago. Some say they like it in it...
Charleston.net – Jul 19, 2008 04:00 AM [GMT] ¦ comment?
found in Local: South Carolina: Charleston
COLUMBIA — The Confederate battle flag that flutters 30 feet above one of this city's busiest streets still draws a mix of head shakes and shrugs from South Carolina residents. Some are upset the banner was removed from the statehouse dome eight years ago. Some say they like it in it...
Charleston.net – Jul 19, 2008 04:00 AM [GMT] ¦ comment?
found in Local: South Carolina: Charleston
NAACP plans annual event in Marion
The Marion County NAACP Branch will hold its Annual Woman of the Year and Freedom Fund Banquet at 6 p.m. July 26 at the Rev. Dr. A.C. Robinson Family Resource Center in Marion.
SCnow.com – Jul 18, 2008 11:20 PM [GMT] ¦ comment?
found in Local: South Carolina: Myrtle Beach
The Marion County NAACP Branch will hold its Annual Woman of the Year and Freedom Fund Banquet at 6 p.m. July 26 at the Rev. Dr. A.C. Robinson Family Resource Center in Marion.
SCnow.com – Jul 18, 2008 11:20 PM [GMT] ¦ comment?
found in Local: South Carolina: Myrtle Beach
Little support for NAACP flag boycott
The NAACP this week renewed its call for an economic boycott of South Carolina over its flying of the Confederate flag. But there appears to be little popular support for the push.
MSNBC.com – Jul 18, 2008 7:57 PM [GMT] ¦ comment?
found in U.S. News
The NAACP this week renewed its call for an economic boycott of South Carolina over its flying of the Confederate flag. But there appears to be little popular support for the push.
MSNBC.com – Jul 18, 2008 7:57 PM [GMT] ¦ comment?
found in U.S. News