Boot Camp Investigation: Police Say Stun Gun Used Wrongly on Children
By: Brendaliss Gonzalez
Updated: January 12, 2013
It's supposed to help kids who often act up.
"I was basically a brat," said Daniel Basham, who's a participant in the Reality Invasion boot camp in Abilene.
But now Abilene police are looking into allegations by children as young as four years-old who say boot camp instructors took their discipline too far by shocking them with a stun gun.
"Some of the children who have presented do have injuries exactly consistent with this device," said chief of police Stan Standridge at a news conference on Friday.
The device produces up to 1.2 million volts of electricity.
Compare that to the Taser police use.
It releases 50 thousand volts.
"And its incredibly unpleasant," said Standridge.
One participant KTAB spoke with earlier in the week has never seen that happen.
"I've seen handcuffing and I've seen a taser [stun gun], but not like tase [stun] somebody," said Ember Bishop who has participated in the boot camp since March.
But it isn't just kids who have notified police.
One woman who didn't want to be identified lives near the park where the boot camp took place.
She called police to complain about how kids were being treated.
"I told them they were out there you know abusing the kids and for what I heard they were using taser [stun] guns," she said.
Yet nothing was ever done.
This was all new to Standridge after we asked him about those complaints.
"I am not aware of anybody who would per se be a witness calling the police department, outside of this investigation," he said.
However now police are taking steps to figure out just how far instructors have gone with how they treat participants.
"Is it discipline that's whats occurring?" asked Standridge, "I'm not confident that it is."
Some parents still defend the program.
"I don't think that its the instructors fault at all," said Clinton Embry who has a child enrolled in the program.
Instead, they're doubting the investigation itself.
"You know it could be just the fact that some of the kids have had bad experiences with it and they don't want to go to boot camp," he said.
"I lied because I wanted boot camp to end and never happen again," said Bishop.
After we asked her to clarify she responded,
"Like I didn't want to go back anymore."
But for now police are taking every claim seriously about just how far instructors went to get children to behave.
Abilene police have been working with Child Protective Services (CPS), questioning children who have participated in the boot camp.
For now members of the boot camp can continue to meet.
Police have referred the case to the district attorneys office for further investigation.
"I was basically a brat," said Daniel Basham, who's a participant in the Reality Invasion boot camp in Abilene.
But now Abilene police are looking into allegations by children as young as four years-old who say boot camp instructors took their discipline too far by shocking them with a stun gun.
"Some of the children who have presented do have injuries exactly consistent with this device," said chief of police Stan Standridge at a news conference on Friday.
The device produces up to 1.2 million volts of electricity.
Compare that to the Taser police use.
It releases 50 thousand volts.
"And its incredibly unpleasant," said Standridge.
One participant KTAB spoke with earlier in the week has never seen that happen.
"I've seen handcuffing and I've seen a taser [stun gun], but not like tase [stun] somebody," said Ember Bishop who has participated in the boot camp since March.
But it isn't just kids who have notified police.
One woman who didn't want to be identified lives near the park where the boot camp took place.
She called police to complain about how kids were being treated.
"I told them they were out there you know abusing the kids and for what I heard they were using taser [stun] guns," she said.
Yet nothing was ever done.
This was all new to Standridge after we asked him about those complaints.
"I am not aware of anybody who would per se be a witness calling the police department, outside of this investigation," he said.
However now police are taking steps to figure out just how far instructors have gone with how they treat participants.
"Is it discipline that's whats occurring?" asked Standridge, "I'm not confident that it is."
Some parents still defend the program.
"I don't think that its the instructors fault at all," said Clinton Embry who has a child enrolled in the program.
Instead, they're doubting the investigation itself.
"You know it could be just the fact that some of the kids have had bad experiences with it and they don't want to go to boot camp," he said.
"I lied because I wanted boot camp to end and never happen again," said Bishop.
After we asked her to clarify she responded,
"Like I didn't want to go back anymore."
But for now police are taking every claim seriously about just how far instructors went to get children to behave.
Abilene police have been working with Child Protective Services (CPS), questioning children who have participated in the boot camp.
For now members of the boot camp can continue to meet.
Police have referred the case to the district attorneys office for further investigation.
