When police use Tasers or stun guns to “subdue” misbehaving children (as young as six years of age), some people are prompted to wonder if those on the delivering end of such treatment would do such a thing to his own son or daughter.
For at least some employees of the Florida prison system, the answer is an unqualified “yes”:
“Demonstrations at three Florida prisons where more than 40 children were shocked with stun guns have led to the dismissal of three employees and the resignation of two others…. The incidents took place on April 23, national `Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day.’ As part of demonstrations at two prisons, children held hands in a circle, and one was shocked with the stun gun, passing the shock around the circle. At another prison, children were shocked individually.”
All of the youngsters involved in the exercise (some of whom were as young as 5 years of age) were children of prison employees. None was “seriously” hurt by the stun guns, which differ from Tasers in that they are pressed directly against the skin of the victim and affect a smaller area of the body.
The three employees who were fired were Lt. Russell Bourgault and Sgt. Walter Schmidt, 14-year veterans of the prison system, and Sgt. Charmaine Davis, who had worked in it since 2003. The two who resigned were Maj. Seth Adams, a 19-year veteran, and Lt. P.J. Weisner, who had 11 years under his belt. An additional 16 employees will be disciplined.
No criminal charges have been filed, and although the matter was “reported” to the Florida Department of Children and Families, the child-snatchers — who are usually inclined to seize children on any available pretext — don’t appear particularly interested in this case.
10:04 am on May 18, 2009