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Proviso Probe

Friday, January 19, 2007

PO-PO, cops clear cops of wrongdoing in killing handcuffed autistic man

Chicago Tribune (Carolyn Rusin):
No charges will be filed against three Des Plaines police officers accused of using excessive force 14 months ago while trying to subdue an autistic man who died while in handcuffs, authorities said Wednesday.

The weird thing about Rusin's article is that it never tells how the autistic man died.
Cunningham broke free from police inside the group home and ran into the back yard, where officers used pepper spray and a stun gun in an attempt to subdue him. When he continued to resist, they tackled and handcuffed him.

OK. The reader can follow the action to this point.

But what happens after the three officers handcuff the individual?

The first sentence makes it sound like the subject didn't die until after he was in handcuffs, right? So wouldn't a normal reader want to know how the subject was treated after being cuffed so they can evaluate the three Des Plaines cops and the Illinois State Police public integrity task force?

And how big was the subject? When the subject is unusually large or strong the police typically make a big issue of the size? Should readers infer from the absence of reference to his size that he was average size or smaller?

BTW, file this incident under Taser failing to get intended result. Do Taser stun guns ever stun the subjects? Or do they only inflict pain?

3 Comments:

  • Sound like a job for an investigative journalist.
    Cheers

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 11:53 AM, January 19, 2007  

  • Forest Park's Chief Jim Ryan was the Chief in Des Plaines before coming to Forest Park. Looks like he left his trademark of brutality, lies and garden variety corruption there as well. No need for an investigative journalist, this has Ryan's paw prints all over it.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 1:04 PM, January 19, 2007  

  • Here are some cool videos of tasers in action

    http://www.yourdailymedia.com/media/1153135637/Boxer_Vs_Police

    http://www.yourdailymedia.com/media/1162816481/Beer_Shot_Gun_While_Being_Tasered

    http://www.yourdailymedia.com/media/1152958091/Tasered_And_Screams_Like_A_Baby

    http://www.yourdailymedia.com/media/1128590242

    By Blogger Roy, at 2:13 PM, January 19, 2007  

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