Mayor White and Chief Hurtt defend the decision to spend $5 million on Taser equipment (despite the city’s failure to address HPD’s manpower shortages) because they contend it will save lives.
Meanwhile, our friends at Y’all Blog report that a Fort Worth man has died after police there used a Taser on him. The man had allegedly been stealing electricity by running an extension cord to a utility pole.
Is this really something that should be a priority in Houston?
Mayor White and uniformless Chief Hurtt apparently think so.
(11-05-2004 Update) Predictably, Chronicle reporters Lise Olsen and Rhea Davis go to work spinning the news in favor of the White/Hurtt position. It’s unclear why it took two reporters to reproduce the Hurtt/Taser International talking points. Maybe one of these days, the Chronicle can spare one reporter to press city officials on HPD’s manpower issues.
