All Police Officers Should Be Videotaped Every Second They Are On The Job
We give police officers special powers to use force that we allow no other citizen. As such, they should be subjected to special accountability and monitoring. One wonders how many people have served time in jail for officers making up BS stories, actually reversing the direction of an assault, and making it stick because the legal system circles the wagons to protect its own. Thank god for video.
Vitaeus:
Somewhat off-topic but on the subject of video and the benefits thereof.
http://market-ticker.org/akcs-www?singlepost=2522888
April 24, 2011, 8:38 pmmarco73:
Read the end of the story. In only 5 1/2 years, the cop has already been involved in 2 shootings that resulted in the deaths of 2 citizens. The average police officer will never even draw his weapon during a 20 year career.
April 25, 2011, 3:01 amEven with video evidence of the officer beating the man in the story, the officer is still on the streets. The chief will not take the cop off the street because the "incident" is still under "internal investigation." Hope everyone in Vegas sleeps soundly with this hammerhead protecting them.
Bill:
Theoretically, citizens have just about the same power to arrest as a police officer. You, as a citizen, under the law of most states, need probable cause to arrest someone for a felony, and you usually have to witness someone commit a misdemeanor before you can arrest them.
As a practical matter though, just try to arrest a police officer for assault, and see how far that gets you. Or, just try to point out that an officer is violating the 4th amendment and subjecting someone to an unreasonable seizure or search. You can assume you will be arrested charged with obstructing, resisting arrest, disturbing the peace/disorderly conduct, or some other catch all charge, and even if you prove your innocence, all that means is that you spent the night in jail, hired an attorney, incurred the risk of a criminal conviction, and cleared your name. Nothing will happen to the officer, unless he is caught on tape.
Thank goodness for video cameras. It seems like police brutality is getting worse, but no doubt it appears worse now because we have more evidence of it, and it is actually declining, because police officers are aware that they could be recorded.
April 25, 2011, 6:25 amZach:
It shouldn't stop there. Police officers should be videotaped 24 hours a day. They tend to moonlight as wife-beaters and seized-drug-dealers.
April 25, 2011, 12:45 pmIan Random:
Actually, it is the blue unions that protect the rotten ones in their ranks. Officers are a mixed bunch like every other organization, it is just the bad ones cannot be held accountable much like teachers. I wish I could find the documentary I saw on PBS, but it was a cop so dangerous he wasn't allowed to patrol on his own.
April 25, 2011, 12:55 pmErisGuy:
Limiting the taping to police officers is too narrow. Image what the tapes of Mike Nifong could have revealed.
April 25, 2011, 4:00 pmSmock Puppet:
I actually favor this sort of thing, with the codicil that I think if you're shown to be clearly giving actual shit to the cop and he does decide to take you down, you've been asking for it.
That doesn't mean you can't passively resist, but being insulting and stupid about it says you're dumb enough to deserve getting some physical negative behavioral reinforcement.
April 27, 2011, 7:36 pmel coronado:
ah. so being "insulting and stupid" to a cop, or God forbid, daring to "give actual shit" to our brave security ninja/warriors, means he "can take you down" - despite the fact that's assault and battery were you or i to try it out - because.....he's s cop? special? above the law?
interestingly, gang members seem to have pretty much that exact same notion. "sure, i beat/shot/killed the guy. he was *dissin'* me!"
so now cops operate under blood/crip/vice lord/disciple codes of conduct? and you're DEFENDING this, smocky? then may your chains sit lightly upon you. remember to always gaze downward and tug your forelock whenever a cop walks by - show the proper respect! a sheep SHOULD show grovelling respect to its master, don't you think?
April 28, 2011, 5:17 pm