Police investigate after Chinese student shocked with Taser
EUGENE, Ore. -- The Eugene police officer who used a Taser on a Chinese student in the student's own apartment was part of another high-profile Taser incident.
Eugene police chief Pete Kerns says Officer Judd Warden fired the Taser. Warden is the same officer who fired his Taser at Eugene protester Ian Van Ornum at a downtown pesticide rally back in May 2008.
In the most recent incident, police say Warden fired his Taser at a Chinese student who did not speak English well. Someone originally reported the student was trespassing, and Warden fired his Taser. Police have said they will not elaborate on exactly what happened in the apartment, although there was a language barrier.
Police eventually learned the student and his roommate were legally in his own apartment. The two were then released.
The Eugene Police Department is now conducting an internal investigation.
"The way we went about this in this case was more proactive than any case like it that I've ever seen here," says Kerns.
The Eugene police auditor has also opened an investigation.
Warden also fired his Taser in a separate incident with protester Ian Van Ornum in downtown Eugene in 2008. It was determined using a Taser was justified in the VanOrnum case. Kerns says he does not want to compare the two incidents.
"The two cases are separate," says Kerns. "This investigation isn't done, and I can assure that the facts will speak for themselves in this case."
At a news conference, Kerns would not give out specifics of the current investigation. He did say investigators have not yet interviewed the student involved because they have not been able to set up a time.
He says there was a video camera on the Taser, but the video will not be made public until after the investigation is complete. The department has 60 days to complete their investigation.
Department leaders are also in the process of reviewing their Taser policy. That policy review was underway before this latest incident.
As for Warden, he is still on the job and is still equipped with a Taser. He was recently named "officer of the year."
Chief Kerns says Warden wants to be as open about the incident as legally possible and it was his own choice to release his name.
"He asked for me to share his name. I didn't ask him to," says Kerns. "And I'm gonna make dang sure that as time goes by we do everything we can to make sure that we provide the community with the information they are asking for."
KVAL obtained a copy of the Eugene Police department's "Limited English Proficiency Services" policy. It says, if a person speaks limited English, an officer should still be able to effectively communicate when they're making contact and should also be able to communicate the meaning or consequences of any enforcement action taken.
