Almost 2 months after Police responded to a home on Delaware Avenue to find Isaac Bass fighting with his brother, the Officers involved finally have some closure. Bass began fighting the Officers and tried to disarm them. This is nothing new for Bass he had a long history of getting high and fighting with family members who in turn ended up calling the Police whom he would also fight.
The Official cause of death is Cocaine Toxicity, compounded by heart disease (which we can only assume was caused by his years of drug abuse) and Excited Delirium. It wasn't the Taser that killed Isaac Bass. Isaac Bass killed Isaac Bass through years of alcohol and drug abuse.
Some members of the Bass family have denied Bass became violent with the Police. I don't know, call me a skeptic, but in almost every one of his 22 arrests since he turned into an adult Isaac Bass fought the Police and/or family members. Remember the reason for the call to the house that night? He was over at his mamma's house fighting with his brother.
Isaac Bass lived by the coke spoon and he died by it. Some of his family members are upset because they cannot profit by it by suing the Police Department, Metro Government and Taser International. Sorry about your luck. Isaac Bass was a career criminal with extremely violent tendencies.
Whenever he was caught he fought. His crimes ranged from writing bad checks to Robbery. He sampled the field extensively, but the common denominator was his cocaine addiction and his willingness to do anything to get some. Isaac was given lots of opportunities to get help and turn himself around, but he chose the road he went down on.
I don't feel sorry for the family when they cry about the Taser not being part of the problem. Since LMPD Officers began carrying Tasers there have been thousands of deployments without incident. Percentage wise it has been the safest tool added to our belts ever! It stops a bad guy in his tracks. Tasers have proven themselves over and over again. Save your tears for someone that deserves them. Isaac Bass didn't. Isaac spent most of his adult life either in jail, prison or out committing more crimes so he could get more cocaine. He is hardly the poster boy for police abuse. Don't forget that members of his family are the ones that called the Police that night because he was out of control.
When Officers respond to a run, this isn't like at the Doctor's Office or hospital where the physicians examines the patient's file and medical history prior to the run. The Bad Guys don't wear distinctive clothing or id bracelets that say ?CAUTION?, ?I AM HIGH ON COCAINE?. They don't carry around cards that warn that they may have heart problems due to years of drug abuse.
What we see, is what we get. We see someone fighting, cursing, screaming and we try to take them into custody without force. The level of force we use is dictated by the level of force or non-compliance that the Bad Guy uses. We don't walk into a run and immediately Taser someone. His actions have to be at a certain level in order for Officers to use them.
The pain and worry that two good Officers have suffered over the past two months dealing with the uncertainties, moral dilemmas and issues of faith were whom I was concerned for. These two fine Officers were doing their jobs when they got hit by the cocaine express that Isaac bass was riding on. They did their jobs admirably, but as a result of Bass's actions and addictions they were put under the microscope until these results came back.
Departmental inquiries are essential. It is unfortunate that we have to prove out actions were right and just over that of some criminal low life, but that is the nature of the beast.