Thank You Mary Beth for coming forward with your experience. You are a brave woman and your testimony does matter. Especially your experience which contains first hand knowledge of the officer in question.

Old School Clayton County here is an example of these thugs with a badge who I have been railing against. Did she need to be terrorized even if she was guilty? Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?

thetruth, Your reply was very informative. It also supports what I said in earlier posts. The Hartwell cop should have, according the use of force continuum, sprayed (or tazered if applicable) the perpetrator when the suspect began to resist. That is Police tactics 101.

Once the screwdriver came out then the escalation of force is authorized. He then should have had him at gun point. If an attempt to use the screw driver in a threatening manner was attempted, then the use of deadly force was appropriate. (this can occur in less than a second) At that point, the criminal history of the perpetrator is irrelevant. If he was a five year veteran being 6ft. and 155lbs, then he would have known all of this and adjusted to the situation accordingly. He may not be fit for duty due to improper application of his use of force.

My point on this, and other posts is to have citizens hold police to the appropriate standards because of the criminal stuff I have witnessed. Who else will police the police? government?

As far as my spelling, that is a minor issue as I was in a hurry. As far as the officers degree, irrelevant, as it does not give you common sense, the will to live, or experience. Oh, and I have a political science degree, a history degree, a minor in sociology, and am working on my business degree and thanks for asking.

Well Old School Clayton County You sound as if your were educated in public schools and I bet you are at least 50-80 pounds overweight. You and both know that not all of the facts in this case are out. It would be interesting to see them.

You state that you bet minimum force was used. I cite the facts in this article against that. First, how do you get into an esculated incident from an ID chack? Why not wait for back-up at the first sign of trouble so no one gets hurt as cops with common sense do and not those with an "I'll just kick your rear and throw you in jail mentality."

Second, How does the man lose an eye in the process? If you can not effectively take someone into custody with out causing them to lose body parts in the process then you are NOT fit for duty.

Third, if you can't fight and win; yet become unconsious from the fight then you are NOT fit for duty.

I surmise the following from this article and my experience in law enforcement.

For whatever reason the officer asked for the victim's ID. What was the reason for the contact? Casual or investigatory? BIG DIFFERENCE!

The victim, for some reason, did not produce one and the officer got mad and his "kick-butt and take names later attitude came out." The officer took it upon himself to give the man a "Come to Jesus Sermon" and the officer, who was probably 50 to 80 pound overweight as has been my experience in law enforcement of fellow cops, got his rear end handed back to him.

Now, if the officer was in the right then I support him but I have a problem with: why this incident was esculated if it could have been handled with back-up officers; the victim losing an eye in the process unless it was a life and death struggle; and the fact that the officer ended up unconscious becoming a danger to himself and others by losing control of his weapon.

Why were no other force options exercised like pepper spray, taser, ASP?

He may have been in the bad end of the political stick in the department and his fellow officers left him alone. I have seen that done. Cowards!

I have seen rookie cops answer a minor call and esculate it into a full blown fight with the suspect, and his family, when it could have been handled calmly and resovled without arrest and people going to the emergency room to get body parts reattached.

"Corporal Bobby Mitchell" sounds like your typical small town pig and "Jimmy Lee Blackwell" sounds like your typical drunk redneck. ---- Ditto

Here is yet another fine example of police in Georgia taking their duties out through a beating upon the public.

Often cops take their duties out too far when exercising the law and abuse the citizens. This officer was probably young and at the first sign of difficulty with the "suspect" he commences to beat the guy about the head and neck. That good ole' "Lets get out there and kick us some butt and take some names". Good grief.

This is just another illustration of crooks chasing crooks with the protection of the law and using force to accomplish their goals.

Hold them accountable to the high standards they should be following.