I learned of this story from a tweet by Don Surber. Reading Don’s take on the story, my initial response was one of shock and horror.

His boss: “She was using language I wouldn’t expect any woman to use, let alone a 72-year-old woman.”

Well, that explains everything.

Foul language.

I am surprised the officer did not cap her for hurling an F-bomb. It looks bad because it is bad.

She’s 72.

She was driving 60 in a 45 construction zone.

She was belligerent.

She’s 72.

Look, I know old people are dangerous. The shooter at the Holocaust Museum is 88.

And I know traffic stops are dangerous for police officers.

But still, her refusal to sign a speeding ticket seems small. The ticket is still valid.

According to the Austin American-Statesman newspaper report: “Taser International recommends not using the weapon on people who are physically infirm or elderly. It was not known late Tuesday what the Taser policy is for constable deputies.”

Whatever that policy it is, the officer who tased granny should know it. He’s a Taser instructor.

And whatever the policy is, they should change it.

She’s 72.

I agreed. Watching this video only served to solidify the shock-and-horror response:

I then followed the link to Danny Glover’s take on the story, where a different, longer video was shown.

That changed my perspective.

From the very beginning, even while she was in the truck, this lady was pulling out the “I’m a 72-year-old woman!” card. She told him that she wasn’t going to sign it, and to go ahead and take her to jail. Then, when he escorted her out of the truck to arrest her, she started swearing and getting into his face, causing both the officer and the woman to be dangerously close to the flow of oncoming traffic along an apparently notoriously dangerous stretch of highway. When she refused to back off, he shoved her away from the traffic. She then started pulling the age card again, yelling about shoving a 72-year-old woman, and tried to get back into the officer’s face as he warned her to back away.

This woman was warned nine times to comply. Nine times. And all nine times, she refused. And the officer warned her he would tase her. Her response? She told him to do it! “I dare you,” she said. And even after she told him to go ahead and do it, he hesitated, and continued to issue warnings before he finally took action.

Does that look like a taser-happy police officer to you? It doesn’t to me. It seems to me that the officer was extremely reluctant to use the taser, and did so to keep himself and the woman safe. As Sgt. Major Gary Griffin points out,

And at that point she tries to walk around him and if she were to continue her path… she would have walked right out into the main oncoming traffic. … She was an adult; she was told nine times to comply; she chose all nine times to disregard the orders of a Texas peace officer.

Interestingly, the video showed an interview with the woman before the dashcam video was released, where she claimed she wasn’t resistant or combative or belligerent. How convenient that she missed the interview where the dashcam footage would have been shown to her.

As was also pointed out by the reporter, Keri Bellacosta, had he not gained control of the woman and she had gotten injured, he could be facing a civil suit for not preventing injury to an individual in custody.

I personally think the shorter video was edited to make it clearly look like a case of a big, mean, taser-happy cop out to get a small, weak grandma who didn’t do anything wrong. Watching the longer video shows that this woman got what she was asking for. Had she simply signed the ticket, this wouldn’t have happened. And if she really could not sign the ticket, had she simply complied with the arrest this wouldn’t have happened. The officer gave her more than enough warnings, and she refused to comply and resisted arrest. Her actions were putting herself and the officer in danger. What other choice did he have?

The press and the woman herself are playing up her age of 72 because it is a handy scapegoat. But just because she is 72 years old, it doesn’t mean she is allowed to speed without receiving a ticket. It doesn’t mean she’s allowed to resist arrest. It doesn’t mean she’s allowed to refuse to comply with a police officer’s orders. And it especially doesn’t mean she’s allowed to potentially put her life and the life of the police officer at risk. I fully support the actions of this police officer, and I’m glad to see that his superiors are standing by him.