News-Record.com

This incident shows that the nervous nellies and naysayers were wrong about giving tasers to school resource officers. In this case, a potentially dangerous situation was defused quickly, with no one being hurt, since the officer had a non-lethal alternative to a firearm.

The job of SROs should be to protect innocent students from danger, including danger posed by their fellow students. Law enforcement needs a variety of tools to do that job. I, for one, support the efforts of our police officers and deputies to keep our schools safe.

Why didn't the kid just cooperate?

I firmly believe that any law enforcement officer, with any premonition?, or with probable cause?
to apprehend anyone for questioning must take steps in securing the welfare of the general
public.

It's a shame that a taser had to be used to subdue this young man.

Even in the schools, we must eliminate the criminal activities, as well as the community of the whole.

SROs will remain on my watch, if elected later this year.

If needed, let's hope its the first of many times if it prevents the SRO, innocent children, innocent staff, and innocent teachers from being hurt.

Sounds like a a decision had to be made in a split second by one of Guilford County's trained professionals.

Thank goodness its a deputy under the guidance of Sheriff Barnes as opposed to say one of GSO's finest such as Lt. Hinson.

The reason the young man did not cooperate was because he had no respect for the authority before him.

Now we know more. The Sheriff's Office says the student was carrying a boxcutter and marijuana.
Both parties deserve due process but the information we know at this point certainly appears to justify the officer's actions.

Great, please make sure Deena Hayes understands. We're really not interested in another one of her rants.

Yes, it certainly does appear the officer acted correctly in this situation. Why on earth did this student bring a weapon and drugs to school? I hope he is dealt with sternly - there's no room on campus for thugs who bring knives and guns to school.

And Gatecity Keeper, I have no doubt that Deena Hayes will make a big deal out of this. In her twisted logic, I'm sure the officer is at fault and the student is just a victim.

I just wish Deena cared 1/10th as much about the well-behaved, law-abiding students of all races as she does about violent offenders.

Please stop publishing photographs of those accused of or charged with criminal activities - publishing photos of this type is racist - your paper does not identify, in print, the race of individuals - why use photographs to indicate race ?

Holden, we don't identify the race of a perpetrator unless it is relevant to the story, and it rarely is.

However, we don't publish the photo of someone arrested to "show" what race they are. We publish them to show who was arrested.

Race is not relevant but I knew it wouldn't be long before someone brought up the issue of this young man's race.

What a shame - stop concerning yourself with a photo and be more concerned about what more a community can do to bring back the day when resource officers were not necessary in the public school system.

Wake up folks! Public school is a very scary place these days . . . no matter what your race.

That last post was mine - I failed to enter my information in before I posted. Wanted to make sure I was identified with the comments.

Sorry - will try again. Froggie here . . . the last TWO posts were mine. Thanks!

I must admit, I'm beginning to see that Deena Hayes may be right. SROs are not needed and may in fact may be the problem. I mean, let's look at this case. If there was no SRO officer, the boys would have just gone about their business, got high, returned to class and either slept or giggled at little bit. Come on, what's the big deal. But because the SRO was there, now we have...in order to justify his salery, he had to hassle these guys in the parking lot, take them to the office, and taser one of them. Clearly the SRO is the problem here. And to boot, if they were white, he probably would have done nothing and just said "boys will be boys".

We need to wise up.

The young man also had a box cutter (for box cutting class?).

I believe the box-cutting class is part of the new Shipping & Distribution Magnet Program that Dot Kearns is promoting.

Sponsored by Fedex?

Thanks Dot.

how ironic that parents in this country are not allowed to administer corporal punishment to their children and yet the schools can render them paralyzed with 50,000 volts.

does this not harm self-esteem?

Redneck, as I'm sure you know, it's the amps, not the volts, that really matter.

Just saying said it all: it's a non-issue. Taser panic is one of those invented journalistic hysterias (like Asian bird flu, Y2K, etc.) based on a rumor that someone, somewhere was hurt by a taser. Unless you already have Asian bird flu (and I think we're still waiting in the U.S.), getting tased is nothing.

I'll bet the kid listen's next time.

I am not in favor of tasers. I prefer a billy club to the head. It has a calming effect.