The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled today that Maui Police Department officers used excessive force in "Tasing" a woman who had called MPD for help with a domestic dispute. The Court similarly ruled that Seattle police used unconstitutionally excessive force by using a Taser on a pregnant woman whose crime was refusing to sign a speeding ticket. The Court ruled that Tasers constitute "intermediate" force and that Taser use was improper (under the plaintiffs' version of events) because the two women posed no threat to any of the police officers. The ACLU of Hawaii and the ACLU of Washington State submitted two amicus curiae ("friend of the court") letters; the ACLU's letters, and the Court's decision, are below.
By acluhawaii