ONTD Political

We Finally Find A Good Cop. She Must Be Fired.

7:59 am - 04/19/2012
Regina Tasca is a Bogota, New Jersey, police officer who responded to a medical call to transport Kyle, an emotionally disturbed young man, to the hospital. As per protocol, she called for backup.

Her two backup officers tackled the young man and proceeded to punch him. Kyle was never charged, nor arrested, for any offense. Tasca says it's because he never threatened, did not have a weapon, and indeed never resisted and was not violent.

Eventually Tasca was able to pry the punching officer off Kyle, as seen in a picture taken by Kyle's mother.



Source with video.
hardblue 19th-Apr-2012 12:38 pm (UTC)
It does make you wonder what is the profile they are looking for when it comes to policemen.
sobota 19th-Apr-2012 12:55 pm (UTC)
not women?
fightingwords 19th-Apr-2012 04:53 pm (UTC)
Ding ding ding.
vanishingbee 19th-Apr-2012 01:17 pm (UTC)
nobody with the ability to think for themselves enough to see that their fellow police officers are the problem in a given situation?
archanglrobriel 19th-Apr-2012 02:14 pm (UTC)
Must be willing to never reign in the neanderthal tendencies of one's cadre of coworkers, especially physically.
Actually from what I know of how cop culture works, she's probably better off if they fire her, she can collect unemployment and look for work elsewhere. Once the other dudebrodude cops in her precinct find out what she did (she broke the blue code, man!) she won't have a decent day of work ahead of her and it could even put her life and safety at risk.
psylum_atla 19th-Apr-2012 04:27 pm (UTC)
Calling the assaulting a Neanderthal is a serious insult to Neanderthals.
mirhanda 19th-Apr-2012 02:20 pm (UTC)
Not-very-bright bully with a superiority complex?
kira_snugz 19th-Apr-2012 11:40 pm (UTC)
most of the poeple that i have met who want/have careers as police are big bullies. they like being in power, they like having access to weapons, they like the lights, they like the sirens. they want work to be awesome and fun and like an action movie. and when day to day work isn't like leathal weapon they get frustrated and it simmers until they find a way to take it out on someone.

i know one guy who became a police officer because he was interested in justice, in helping people. in being the first step in righting wrongs.
kaowolfie 20th-Apr-2012 03:48 pm (UTC)
My husband and I went out to dinner last night at our favorite hole-in-the-wall Thai place, and pretty much had our evening ruined by a party of cops in town for some conference. They were loudly talking about how painful tasers are and how painful this "less-than-lethal" measure was or that one, and comparing dicks based on what they could take without crying uncle. They were absolutely that first asshole type you described.

The restaurant's owner was terrified, since his English isn't super great and holy shit cops talking about weapons and using weapons. My husband and I were just on edge, since he's Cherokee and I'm noticeably part Creek. Fun fun fucking fun.
phoenixblaze 19th-Apr-2012 12:51 pm (UTC)
Wait so being reasonable and not wanting to use brute force makes her psychologically unfit to do her job?

This kind of reminds me of an episode of Cops my dad and I watched and the force just seemed so excessive to the situation.
urplesquirrel 19th-Apr-2012 12:56 pm (UTC)
So, not being a violent, trigger happy asshole makes you psychologically unfit to be a police officer? Gee, I feel so much safer now.
chaya 19th-Apr-2012 01:00 pm (UTC)
Tags pls
fragbert 19th-Apr-2012 01:10 pm (UTC)
chaya 19th-Apr-2012 02:40 pm (UTC)
Ty! <3
mornings 19th-Apr-2012 01:11 pm (UTC)
maladaptive 19th-Apr-2012 01:11 pm (UTC)
Interfering with the boys in blue doing whatever they want and breaking the blue wall?

Totally unfit to be a cop. She might report corruption and wrongdoing next.
radname 19th-Apr-2012 01:14 pm (UTC)
Wow, but good for her. You go Regina Tasca.
bleed_peroxide 19th-Apr-2012 01:17 pm (UTC)
So she stopped a fellow officer from using excessive force, and that makes her psychologically unfit?

That definitely says a lot, doesn't it? I feel so safe around cops now.
burningmarl 19th-Apr-2012 01:21 pm (UTC)
It's fucking terrifying, isn't it?!
bleed_peroxide 19th-Apr-2012 01:24 pm (UTC)
It makes me worry for my cousin - she's a female officer and doesn't have that "criminals are just scum" mentality. Either she's going to lose her job and/or reputation, or she's going to become hardened like so much of the police force.

It's just... pathetic. You should feel safe when you see a cop in the mall, not concerned that you're going to be found guilty of whatever offense they feel like spitting out. And heaven help you if you try defending yourself.
lil_insanity 19th-Apr-2012 04:39 pm (UTC)
;_; My thoughts exactly.
4eyedblonde 19th-Apr-2012 04:40 pm (UTC)
doverz 19th-Apr-2012 01:20 pm (UTC)
Well, big props to Regina for stopping the police abuse.

Fuck the police though for thinking she's psychologically unfit just because she didn't let those cops continue to beat the guy up. I'd feel much safer with someone like her on the streets than cops that beat people up.
the_archandroid 19th-Apr-2012 01:45 pm (UTC)
I think that she is psychologically unfit, so to speak, because she is able to engage in rational thought. Being able to engage in rationale thought, means that there may come a time when she would question the motives of her superiors instead of blindly following along. And it may also mean that she'll speak out if she sees something wrong happening, instead of maintaining the wall of secrecy that seems to be an unspoken rule for police officers. I can understand completely why that would render her "unfit" for duty. Similar to the army, the police force is not a place that prizes or values independent thinking, and this incident shows that Tasca is doing a little too much of that.
Add that to the fact that she's a woman in what is most likely a male dominated field, and it's probable that they were waiting for an opportunity to push her out.

ETA: tl;dr - exactly what maladaptive said

Edited at 2012-04-19 01:47 pm (UTC)
the_archandroid 19th-Apr-2012 02:01 pm (UTC)
LOL, yep, not surprising to be honest, I haven't read any actual stats on it, but it's hard to imagine that it would be any different.
castalianspring 19th-Apr-2012 02:18 pm (UTC)
I went through a similar period, and was told I would likely be rejected if I did too well on the exams, because they discouraged those who were "too smart" from applying.
doverz 19th-Apr-2012 06:12 pm (UTC)
Well that's stupid, but not surprising at all. Can't have smart cops who can think for themselves.
castalianspring 19th-Apr-2012 06:58 pm (UTC)
Yup, the reasoning I was given was that they didn't want to invest in someone who'd get bored and leave, but I didn't really buy that.
roseofjuly 19th-Apr-2012 02:36 pm (UTC)
There's also the idea that being around a bunch of bullies with a superiority complex will probably bring her a lot of anxiety and perhaps depression and anger.
kaowolfie 19th-Apr-2012 05:07 pm (UTC)
Eventually, there would come a time and a place where she couldn't stop them. Because that's how the boys in blue roll. :(
kaowolfie 19th-Apr-2012 05:10 pm (UTC)
From what I understand based on relayed stories from my granddad the cop, that wall of secrecy is much less unspoken than you might think. He let himself be put on long term disability to get away from it, back in the 70s. Then did his absolute best to make sure everybody knew not to trust the cops *ever*, especially the cops in the county I grew up in.
clevermanka 19th-Apr-2012 03:15 pm (UTC)
I'm already nervous about going to the We Are Women march on April 28, and wondering what sort of "security" we're going to encounter. I'm in Kansas, so I get to look forward to Topeka cops.

This story is not helping my peace of mind. eeeeeeeeeek
lil_insanity 19th-Apr-2012 04:40 pm (UTC)
This is absolutely horrible. Unfortunately I'm not surprised. The majority of police officers I've encountered are overly aggressive and have superiority complexes... so no, somebody like this brave and awesome lady wouldn't really fit in.
beautyofgrey 19th-Apr-2012 05:01 pm (UTC)
Oh my god. As someone with an emotionally disturbed son, this gives me nightmares. Kudos to Ms. Tasca for doing the right thing. And poor Kyle. :/
kaowolfie 19th-Apr-2012 05:14 pm (UTC)
Also? Seriously, poor Kyle. What happened to him - the cops are called and he was brutalized even though he was not making threats or behaving violently - is absolutely the norm for people with mental disabilities, especially teenage boys. :(
fragbert 19th-Apr-2012 05:18 pm (UTC)
They probably thought he was wearing a hoodie.
kaowolfie 20th-Apr-2012 03:51 pm (UTC)
Like this eight year old girl was?

to ontd_p at large: Ms. Tasca is awesome, but can we have some talk about how fucked up it is that it's NORMAL for people like Kyle, with mental illness or developmental disabilities, to be victims of police brutality? Please? :( I feel like he's just being ignored.
pandaseal 19th-Apr-2012 05:38 pm (UTC)
I feel like I have to use this icon way too much lately.

Ms. Tasca sounds baddass as hell and although I don't have a lot of faith this will end well for her, I hope it does.
apostle_of_eris 19th-Apr-2012 05:51 pm (UTC)
I suspect it's more the blue wall than sexism.
The first duty of any cop is to swear that every other cop is always telling the truth, regardless. That is, to prevent any and all accountability. I really don't know what fraction of the forces are psychos and bullys, but we will never find out. (Here in Chicago, it's documented to be over 5%.)

(I do NOT say sexism had nothing to do with it, just [imnsho] it was probably not first on the list of reasons.)
mskye 19th-Apr-2012 06:30 pm (UTC)
Regina Tasca is a fucking CHAMP. The police force needs her but doesn't deserve her.
laja_89 19th-Apr-2012 06:35 pm (UTC)
I'm a female, and I plan on applying the the Ontario Provincial Police. They are 'equal opportunity employers' but my guess is anything that makes your fellow union protected cops look bad, you get sacked.
brucelynn 19th-Apr-2012 06:39 pm (UTC)
Ya'll didn't know?

Cops are the new "Street Gangs" they don't come to protect the people, they just go on power trips trying to put fear in people's hearts.

Regina Tasca I love you girl!!!
pyrrhic_victoly 19th-Apr-2012 07:38 pm (UTC)
I'll take that as my cue to slide into a fantasy world where all cops are as awesome as the ones on Law & Order. Anyone else up for an SVU marathon?
tabaqui 19th-Apr-2012 08:06 pm (UTC)
Jayzus, fuck these guys and fuck this department. I hope she wins through.
sankaku_atama 19th-Apr-2012 11:26 pm (UTC)

Sooo....she is basically a decent, caring human being who tried to stop two testosterone-laden bullyboys from beating the shit out of someone they had no reason to assault. If this makes her "psychologically unfit" to be a police officer, then that doesn't speak very well of who is considered psychologically fit.

TL;DR: FUCK THE POLICE (except Tasca).
ladypolitik 19th-Apr-2012 11:37 pm (UTC)
Glad to have the trust, faith and complete lack of fear I feel towards police officers finally reinforced.
jwaneeta 19th-Apr-2012 11:43 pm (UTC)
I can't. No.
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