When in doubt, just tase them

Taser use does seem to be getting out of hand these days, doesn't it? I don't think any case more appropriately illustrates how Tasers are treated more like toys, than potentially lethal weapons, than the good old case of this guy who got tasered in his own house while he was asleep because he didn't immediately wake up when the police arrived. Turned out that the guy was who he said he was, that he had every right to be where he was, but that didn't stop the cops from repeatedly tasering him. The use of a taser should not be lawful except in cases where you fear imminent injury, and any use of it outside of such circumstances should be considered physical assault of a private citizen.

In my opinion, the blame for a lot of cases like this comes down to a trend in our society to freak out and overreact. I think people are often not too upset about cases like this because they can fearfully relate on some level to how a police officer might fear for his or her life, despite having a superior position in the room, and an armed partner present. Dare I say it, it's a downright effeminate attitude toward violence. Security over freedom; better to be safe than risk the small possibility that you might be sorry.

What's interesting about this trend is that it flies in the face of the claim that the police are professionals, who are better capable of using force than private citizens. A truly professional user of force, should be able to use the most minimal amount of force to accomplish the job because they are assumed to be an expert at such things. Of course, the reality is that in many cases the cops are as bad, or worse, shots as your average armed private citizen, and at least an unhealthy minority of them display little common sense in how they wield force. In light of such systematic deficiencies, doesn't it make sense to heavily restrain how these people wield force?