OOPS! St. Pete Police taser one of their own

By: Dave Bohman

St. Petersburg, Florida - When St. Pete Police Major Ron Hartz demonstrated a tasering last year, he knew it was coming.

To another St. Pete officer in a mock training drill Wednesday night, the zapping came as a complete surprise.

Bill Profitt, St. Petersburg Police Spokesman:

“There could be some potential discipline if the rules weren't followed.”

Here at the intersection of Central Avenue and 24^th Atreet, several officers were conducting a mock arrest exercise.

One cop was waving a golf club, acting as a threatening criminal.

Two officers in patrol cars nearby heard over the police radio, there was trouble in the area.

So from the time they heard the broadcast, to when they arrived, .they thought they were dealing with a crazed suspect.

Bill Profitt, St. Petersburg Police Spokesman:

“They saw him make a threatening move with a golf club towards one of the officers. They issued a verbal warning, 'taser' he didn't respond. So they tasered him.”

The tasered officer received minor abrasions.

Consider this incident from the point of view of the officer who thought he was going after a golf club wielding criminal.

An angry person with one of these could do damage to someone with a six foot radius. So what were the officer's options, and if he didn't have a taser, would he have used his handgun?

Bill Profitt, St. Petersburg Police Spokesman:

“Yeah, you could speculate that things could be even worse than what they were.”

We may never know the answers, but police investigators are looking for answers to another question.

Why didn't those behind the mock arrest exercise notify the rest of the department that what was going at Central and 24^th was just a drill.