City Government
Is Taser Up The Butt Torture?
July 23, 2009 
Consider yourself lucky if you haven’t met up with “Officer #3,” a Boise copper.
The Ombudsman and Chief both conclude he viciously stuck a taser up the rear end of a man while he was handcuffed. The copper will not face criminal charges or his action and so far he remains on the force, having been disciplined for the violation of the department’s “reasonable force” policy.
We have reviewed the OMBUDSMAN’S REPORT and can only describe it as “disturbing.” In a nutshell, the scene at a residence was straight out of Hollywood with the copper screaming, “feel that? It’s my taser up your ass” while the man lay struggling to breath with his hands cuffed behind his back.
Copper #3 later recounted his actions on tape with another officer, but lied about his actions to investigators and the Ombudsman. A supervisor (sgt?) “#10” was also disciplined for altering an audio recording which was later recovered. This action may be as bad as the torture.
Under Boise’s oversight system, Ombudsman Pierce Murphy investigates and reports on complaints and incidents, but his conclusions are only advisory.
The incident happened last winter and the investigation is just now being released following the internal investigation and the decision of the Ada Prosecutor to not charge #3.
Chief Mike Masterson’s press release made no mention of the current duties of #3, but it would appear #3, having been disciplined, is out among the citizens of Boise “protecting and serving.”
EDITOR NOTE–Based on the data released, the GUARDIAN feels the fact #3 is still on the force undermines the future integrity of the BOISE PD. Without the office of the Ombudsman, citizens would never know a current member of the department practiced torture on a handcuffed person and the Ada Prosecutor didn’t see grounds for criminal charges. This truly qualifies as the “good, bad and the ugly.”
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Comments & Discussion
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Jul 23, 2009, 1:56 am
“Johnny, if you do that again I am calling 911 and have them send #3 to deal with you!”
Jul 23, 2009, 4:23 am
What that police officer did was shocking.
Jul 23, 2009, 5:53 am
I think this is a good example of SICK! This is a form torture? I’m sorry, Cop or not they need some jail time.
Jul 23, 2009, 7:58 am
This is yet another clear and classic matter to show that people who work in the criminal justice system have a different system of justice than the productive taxpaying citizens do. Of course this cop did a felony assault by tasering the man who was handcuffed on the floor. This was an attack in a criminal way but the other cops in the system will cover even while saying this assault was not criminal but against policy. This is a clear case of two systems of justice.
I’ll give a perfect example. If any citizen is pulled over for speeding and say they were doing 36 in a zone that just changed to 30 mph, which we have a lot of in Boise. They can get a ticket and many do. One of my employees did and so did my mother-in-law who’s husband was a cop for over thirty years. Both of these tickets came from the same cop and both were for doing 6 mph over the limit. This motorcycle cop is now causing traffic problems in West Boise with his cheap shot tickets. Five Mile is closed so he’s working Maple Grove hard and causing the traffic to be far worse than it is with the over flow from Five Mile. The first thing this cop does is tries to get people to hang themselves by saying they were speeding. If someone states they were going even 1 mph over the limit. No judge will allow them into the courtroom because they admitted to speeding. Clearly if the citizens are going to be held to fines and having their insurance jacked up because of the points and for police revenue scams. The same standard of justice needs to be applied to “citizen police”. Thats right “citizen police” not some military shaved head commandos.
This cop of subject matter needs to be fired and some sort of assault charges filed. If the lawyers in the DA’s office don’t feel they have the skills to move forward with this case than hire a lawyer out of private sector who feels they can win the case.
Note: for anyone trying to change the subject matter by saying I must have had some tickets and I’m venting. I’m happy to say I have never had a ticket in my life and plan to keep it that way.
Jul 23, 2009, 8:56 am
Mr. Watcher… I agree and I havent had a ticket in 30 years. The police had not identified themselves at the start and the guy was on the ground handcuffed. The military skinhead look is intimidating to me. I saw one on tv at the scene of a drowning in fatigue-style pants and a t-shirt with “SHERRIF” or “POLICE’ on the back. All the “tactical” gear adds to the perception. A local firemen told me once that “Cops think they can do anything.. just because they are cops.” A lawyer told me that “Most won’t hesitate to lie to justify a bad decision.” I have lived here for 35 years. BPD has the worst rep. State Police and ACS somewhat better.
Jul 23, 2009, 10:10 am
I would feel a lot better about the mass showing at funerals discussed on another part of this blog, if they would also have a mass show of indignation when one of their own goes bad.
I won’t hold my breath.
Jul 23, 2009, 11:50 am
The police brutality alone is bad enough. Hick police with their “pee-pee ca-ca” style force is the likes of playground enforcement by 10 year olds.
“Stop yur wigglin, or imma gonna shock your BALLS, uh-hilk”
Jul 23, 2009, 11:53 am
You forgot to mention that the supervisor also erased the interview audio tape and did not even write a report on the use of force at the residence that night.
In the Statesman article Masterson says that because it’s the first time the officer was referred to the discipline board that termination will not be necessary. I wonder how often this happens over at BPD? I don’t care if it’s their first time, one screw up like this should never be allowed. So if I taze somebody I shouldn’t be charged because I’ve never done it before? Even if the guy “deserved” it?
This is clearly the act of an officer who needs jail time and psychiatric counseling. Sadists need to be removed from the police force IMMEDIATELY.
Erico is right, BPD is absolutely the worst representation of police in the area. ISP and the Sheriff’s Office generally do a great job and I have no qualms, but when it comes to BPD all I can think of is “gestapo”.
Jul 23, 2009, 1:04 pm
LOL Classic! Oversight is needed… always!
Jul 23, 2009, 3:42 pm
To paint the entire department with such a broad brush is wrong! Having said this, officer #3 and any other officer involved in the act, or the alleged cover up, should be removed from the force and prosecuted criminally. I hope Chief Masterson recognizes this as an opportunity to do what’s right for the community as a whole. The fact that “coppers” don’t have the luxury of “do-overs” applies to both edges of the sword.
Jul 23, 2009, 4:03 pm
Not to mention that forcibly shoving things up peoples’ asses would land him in prison with felony charges and on the sex offender registry without a doubt, were he not a cop. This goes beyond a “bad decision.” It’s not like he had to make a split second decision on whether or not to shove a taser up a handcuffed man’s ass. This guy’s a sadist (and a rapist) and should be prosecuted just like anyone else would be.
Jul 23, 2009, 4:20 pm
Holding my breath for coverage on this story on tonight’s local newscast NOT!
Jul 23, 2009, 4:30 pm
Thank god we have people like this giving up weekends, kid’s birthdays, anniversaries, Easter, Thanksgivings and Christmas, and who knows what all so they can abuse people’s civil liberties.
I am, of course, being facetious. A policeman friend of mine explained it this way: About 10 percent of cops are worth their weight in gold. 80 percent are just marking time, The bottom 10 percent should have never been let in the force.
Like members of any profession, it is unwise to vilify the entire group for the actions of one person. Similarly, it is unwise to glorify the entire group just because they wear a badge.
Jul 23, 2009, 4:59 pm
This is another example of the Idaho POST Police Academy living by their sadistic motto “don’t get PTSD, go out and spread PTSD”
Never trust a Boise cop. The good ones will always cover for the bad ones. Someone needs to investigate the Boise and Ada County juvenile court systems as well. Rampant terror and corruption. this is all tolerated by Ada and City councils as well as the school districts.
EDITOR NOTE– Dog, do you have any info? The GUARDIAN got the Ada Commishes to stop the child SLAVERY from the juvenile probation system. Is it back? https://boiseguardian.com/2007/10/02/commishes-abolish-slavery/
https://boiseguardian.com/2007/09/28/county-provides-slave-labor/
Jul 23, 2009, 5:15 pm
Folks here and on other parts of this site are talking to the fact that Coppers are special. I’m always amazed how a Copper can hop from one department to another after doing wrong and start with a clean slate. (Remember the child rapist a few years ago?)
Well I think Police are special, and do need special treatment. They have special powers and responsibilities. The public trust etc.
A few years ago in the pilot world they decided, in an effort to clear the incompetent pilots off the flight deck, that all of a pilot’s training records would become a lifetime federal file. The same need be done with the specialness of Coppers… Then the special ones could not hide any longer. Cops with poor control should do something else.
At first pilots did not like it… but after a while it was nice to know the guy sitting up front was less likely to be a dangerous moron overlooked somehow by the personnel department.
Jul 24, 2009, 3:01 am
Granted it’s not right to tar the whole police force with the same brush, but the other cops should nail this guy’s hide to the wall if the system won’t.
It’s said that one bad apple spoils the barrel; same with cops. How can anybody trust them when for all the know the one they’re talking to might be the sadist pervert who did this.
However, the story said there were 10 cops at the scene (didn’t say why), so I wonder what the others were doing instead of telling this idiot to stop.
Sounds like malfeasance on one guy’s part and nonfeasance by the other nine?
And he should face the same criminal charges any of us would face if we did such a thing.
Jul 24, 2009, 3:39 am
While I usually support other officers, this one is impossible to comprehend. At the very least I don’t understand how he kept his job…not to mention the criminal side. Officers like this are in it for the wrong reasons, and ruin public perception even further for the rest of us. I’m glad I don’t work for BPD…wouldn’t trust him in the least.
Jul 24, 2009, 11:00 am
I think folks need to call this what it is, homo-erotic torture by a sadistic Boise cop. By remaining silent, the Boise Police Force are standing behind their man.
What we have here is a new, “current” definition of “The boys of Boise”.
Jul 24, 2009, 1:38 pm
It looks to me like we not only need a new Police Chief, we also need a new Prosecutor.
Jul 27, 2009, 8:26 am
I’m with JR on a new cop chief and new Prosecutor.
Law enforcement as law sadism plus forgive and ignore?
A different justice code indeed.