Good Cop, Bad Citizen? As Cellphone Recording Increases, Officers Are Uneasy

[fullmetaljesus]

Jack boot thug it as analogous with nazi soldiers

much thanks.

 

[HICKMAN]

Yeah...as they say to us so often, "if you're not doing anything wrong, what do you have to hide?"

lol, first thing that came to mind

 

[canav844]

But if that was the case then there would not be these countless YouTube videos of officers acting inappropriately on a consistent basis.

Officers that are going to ba a bag will be one, regardless if a camera is on them or not. It's just the human nature of some of them.

Just because they are instructed to doesn't mean there aren't bad apples, or those who are ignorant of specific laws of carry, or those who make mistakes; all of which I do think we've seen on video at one point or another. I was not making a mutally exlcusive point, just saying that it really is the assumption that if you are in uniform or in public that your actions are likely to be recorded in one way or another.

Look at the recent BART case. I'm glad people filmed that. Te cops argument was he thought he was holding his tazer! He shot a man in handcuffs and lieing under the officer on the ground iirc. Reports say the handcuffed man had a knife that wasn't caught on film, bu through it away when asked.

If you're talking about BART PD Officer Johannes Mehserle shooting Ocscar Grant, then you may be interested to know that the video confirmed the story, and showed him sweeping the safety thinking he was holding the taser, which his Glock did not have; and that made it so he didn't recieve a murder charge but rather an involuntary manslaughter charge instead; and it raised all sorts of awareness about officers not being consistently provided with tasers and the rearrangement of their duty belts when they were equipped with tasers and several gaps in the PDs policies and procedures. All BART officers are now issued tasers instead of having to check them out from the pool as a result of lessons learned from this incident. BART to Issue TASERs to Every Officer - News - POLICE Magazine

If you're talking about the recent BART PD shooting from summer 2011 on a bus, then into the streets of Oakland, the on bus surveillance camera is reported to have confirmed the officers story about being shot at by the murder suspect that had fled from WA to CA, then returning fire; while the anti LE crowd claimed they were shooting a man over a $2 bus fare. Then the civilian video outside showed where the gun landed, and who in the crowd took the gun of the murder suspect; that video not only helping to further justify the actions of the officers, but also lead to the recovery of the suspects weapon within the week. This incident also sparked the riots in Oakland this past fall, and is what lead to the BART blocking cell phone and internet services in their trains to prevent violent flash mobs in protest of the police action.

(Videos may be thought to be graphic and have foul language)
Police Fatally Shoot Fleeing Suspect In San Francisco Bayview « CBS San Francisco

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qo-dQ6-Ih0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G68UmLMO7CY

There was also this less publicized incident where the video confirmed the suspect had a weapon and presented a lethal force threat, throwing a knife at an officer; this was a case that video evidence also helped to clear the officer.
BART releases video of fatal police shooting
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjFHWx1ZCyo&list=UUXJOE7qbFm8mr_6ZywmzLkQ&index=43&feature=plcp
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AdhlnTFBvz0&
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RkN0...UXJOE7qbFm8mr_6ZywmzLkQ&index=41&feature=plcp

Some departments are seeing the value of video and equipping their officers with personal video cameras to record every moment that they are on duty. Here is a case from this past fall that the video not only helped lead to the awarding of the officer, but more importantly is also going to be leading to situations gone well leading to better training for officers.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ApF1QL9s_qw&feature=player_embedded

The video cameras are not at all the problem IMO; I think they're just making a wake up call for how the people of this country are acting, on both sides of the badge, and while I didn't see the NM video, I've seen more than one good OC encounter with officers on tape and I've seen several that have really hurt the OC movement within the gun community because the officer was polite and appropriate while the OC'er looked like an ass. It's the latter that makes me most annoyed, because it's those actions of a few that divide the gun community on what our rights should be, giving cause for the CCers to be mad at the OCers for making all people with guns look bad.

 

[Jeremiah]

Great insight to both cases. I was unaware of the outcome of the shooting of Oscar grant case. I don't agree that it was an excusable offense to taze a person in handcuffs. It also highlights the inadequacies of police, an the minimal training they receive.

 

[Sgt7330]

Wow, amazing how the facts and video come out and the critics are silent. No smart remarks? Thanks canav844.

 

[Jeremiah]

what do you want? another discussion about citizens v. the Police? can you actually justify the actions in those videos?

also sense they were used to exonerate police officers shouldn't you be grateful that they were filming? or are you thinking about the hundreds of other incidents where by police have been fired, or otherwise punished for actions caught on tape.

 

[aronhubbard]

Yeah, can we have a debate about tazers? On the one hand, I'd rather be tazed than shot. On the other, the introduction of "less lethal force" into the hands of police seems to have them treating them like joy buzzers. I thought originally that tazers were only to be used in place of shooting a person. Not, "this person isn't being compliant / is acting rude / is passively resisting, let's juice him."

Not to mention the ridiculous abuse of pepper spray / tear gas...

 

[littletommy]

Wow, amazing how the facts and video come out and the critics are silent. No smart remarks? Thanks canav844.

Yeah, a few videos that back up the cops stories pretty much wraps up this discussion. It was all in our minds guys, cops are always right, no matter how it seems. Nothing to see here, thread done.

Seriously though, I'm glad those turned out to be good shoots, I really am, I would not want the job that cops do. But there are many many other cases where cops blatantly have violated peoples rights, seriously injured, and killed innocent citizens, and nothing happened to them. Can you see how people get bent out of shape about this sort of stuff?

 

[96harley]

Okay you, you know who you are.....That deal...where my squad was parked in front of the massage parlor. I was there on business. I entered with a frown for a reason. I was sent there to interview on a follow up case. I had a beautiful dinner planned for my wife and I that evening. I was upset. Hey, you know what? When your and your little NOKIA got me coming out with the smile on my face...well I got a confession, was able to close out a big porn case, and for that may be up for promotion. You'd be smiling too. Anyway that's my story and I'm stick'n to it. Oh.. that deal with the flashlight.....I can explain that one too.....give me a minute.