Chicago Police Hid Mics, Destroyed Dashcams to Block Audio, Records Show • Hacker News Board

Re: Chicago Police Hid Mics, Destroyed Dashcams to Block Audio, Records Show

#201

Post by rubberstamp » Thu, Jan 28, 2016, 5:18 PM UTC

Cthulhu_ wrote: post #81

rubberstamp wrote: post #73

When they can always get away with slap on the wrist, why not destroy camera or turn it off before shooting someone. Some other cop is going to back any and all claims in court. There is no evidence anyway. They make sure of that. I'm still waiting to see what happened with Ian's case. At least some are indicted because of cams now a days. Turning of cam should have some mark on service records and effect their pay/p…

In this case, charge the police officer with murder and obstruction of justice; the camera footage would exonerate them if they killed legitimately, after all. Disabling a camera means they've got something to hide.

[1] http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2016/01/body-cam-captures...

[2] http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2016/01/man-arrested-jail...

In case of [1], that man(and many others) will still be alive if cops behaved professionally rather than behaving like a bunch of _____

In case of [2], why weren't the cops charged with obstruction of justice

There is no one overseeing police behavior, they can get away unless someone with enough time and money takes them to the courts and even then they get too little punishment.

Re: Chicago Police Hid Mics, Destroyed Dashcams to Block Audio, Records Show

#202

Post by ceejayoz » Thu, Jan 28, 2016, 5:18 PM UTC

pflats wrote: post #161

jbob2000 wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The dash cams are for their benefit. There was a county in another state that implemented dash cams for their police force and found an 80% drop in complaints against officers. Why do officers feel like they are being watched? The dash cams are to protect them. If they fear being watched, perhaps they know they aren't doing their job?

>The dash cams are for their benefit. There was a county in another state that implemented dash cams for their police force and found an 80% drop in complaints against officers. Baloney. The cameras are for the public's benefit. Imagine your employer (or whatever) came to you and said, "From now on, you're wearing a camera whenever you're working. It's for your benefit; if anyone ever accuses you of slacking off, you…

It's true though, in this case.

Police are far more likely to have complaints levied against them than most other professions. There's minimal downside as a pissed-off arrestee to filing a spurious complaint.

http://www.voiceofsandiego.org/2014/03/28/fact-check-do-poli...

> Police officers in the small city of Rialto in San Bernardino County have been wearing cameras since 2012. Rialto Police Chief William A. Farrar, working with a Cambridge University researcher, found two big results: Complaints against his officers declined by 88 percent and officer use of force declined by 60 percent.

A police department with body cameras probably won't see many false "he called me a nasty word!" complaints, and cops will be a lot less likely to actually use a nasty word or unnecessary force. Good cops benefit from being able to defend themselves, and bad cops either shape up or get caught.

That is, of course, as long as the department cares when they break their cameras.

Re: Chicago Police Hid Mics, Destroyed Dashcams to Block Audio, Records Show

#203

Post by mgleason_3 » Thu, Jan 28, 2016, 5:20 PM UTC

I look at the comment from the Police Union and cant help wondering why there is no public outcry to:

  Outlaw public employee Unions?

Re: Chicago Police Hid Mics, Destroyed Dashcams to Block Audio, Records Show

#204

Post by thorntonbf » Thu, Jan 28, 2016, 5:20 PM UTC

ihsw wrote: post #157

thorntonbf wrote: post #136

This is a problem at the top and the bottom of the department, and it won't get fixed until both sides are held appropriately accountable. The beat officers don't care because their management stack doesn't care. This should be pursued criminally, and would be were it anyone else messing with municipal equipment. This is a departmental corruption issue first and foremost - and it's the senior management that should b…

It extends out of the department as well -- look no further than the DA and the stable of state prosecutors for another cesspool of laziness and neglect.

Agreed. And, that's actually pretty scary.

When it comes to Ferguson-type departmental corruption, it shows just how institutionalized the racism is - and how far it extends outside of the departments.

We should likely spend more time on this, as in this light, it doesn't matter what changes are made at a departmental level - there's no path to success on their own.

Change is going to have to be at the elected official level - but those systems are so gerrymandered, and so corrupt that it presents a really difficult problem.

Re: Chicago Police Hid Mics, Destroyed Dashcams to Block Audio, Records Show

#205

Post by branchless » Thu, Jan 28, 2016, 5:20 PM UTC

rhino369 wrote: post #189

branchless wrote: post #154

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have to say America just seems like a dreadful mess.

Americas biggest problem in the inner cities. They are literally ghettos were gangs and violence run rampant. The schools are pure shit. The kids have no future. The cops crack down hard (half because they have to in order to maintain any semblance of peace, half because they become jaded). But that part of America is shockingly isolated from the rest of us. Chicago is a great example. There are blocks where on side…

> If you are born on the right side of the tracks, it's a great place. If you aren't, well, good luck.

And I'd regard that as a total failure. It's sad. It was the new land and here we are thanks to the lack of land value tax with the very rich and a large underclass with little social mobility.

Re: Chicago Police Hid Mics, Destroyed Dashcams to Block Audio, Records Show

#206

Post by oliv__ » Thu, Jan 28, 2016, 5:23 PM UTC

I just watched L.A Confidential a couple of days ago. All of this sounds awfully too similar.

Re: Chicago Police Hid Mics, Destroyed Dashcams to Block Audio, Records Show

#207

Post by gambiting » Thu, Jan 28, 2016, 5:25 PM UTC

bilbo0s wrote: post #139

callinyouin wrote: post #106

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm moving to Chicago in a few months. Are there certain neighborhoods that should be avoided on the basis of corrupt police activity? I wonder because I could see neighborhoods that are relatively safe in terms of civilian crime, but cops posted in that area might have nothing better to do than mess with its inhabitants.

I'll be honest with you... Chicago is very much a place where you take your chances. You can live in Streeterville for example, as rayiner alluded to in another post... but what happens when you go out with friends??? What if they want to go someplace in say... Wrigleyville... some night??? You're walking back to your car, or trying to get a taxi back to the loop, and you cross too close in front of a police officer,…

It sounds exactly like Russia to me. Same level or corruption and danger to regular citizens.

Re: Chicago Police Hid Mics, Destroyed Dashcams to Block Audio, Records Show

#208

Post by [deleted] » Thu, Jan 28, 2016, 5:25 PM UTC

bilbo0s wrote: post #139

callinyouin wrote: post #106

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm moving to Chicago in a few months. Are there certain neighborhoods that should be avoided on the basis of corrupt police activity? I wonder because I could see neighborhoods that are relatively safe in terms of civilian crime, but cops posted in that area might have nothing better to do than mess with its inhabitants.

I'll be honest with you... Chicago is very much a place where you take your chances. You can live in Streeterville for example, as rayiner alluded to in another post... but what happens when you go out with friends??? What if they want to go someplace in say... Wrigleyville... some night??? You're walking back to your car, or trying to get a taxi back to the loop, and you cross too close in front of a police officer,…

[deleted]

Re: Chicago Police Hid Mics, Destroyed Dashcams to Block Audio, Records Show

#209

Post by shitgoose » Thu, Jan 28, 2016, 5:28 PM UTC

jMyles wrote: post #193

finid wrote: post #164

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If it's that bad in Chicago, then what you have is not a police force, but a criminal organization. Who's overseeing them? Are your elected officials powerless to do any thing?

> then what you have is not a police force, but a criminal organization. This is the only reasonable conclusion, and it's neither new nor particularly controversial. The real question is: what to do about it?

bend

Re: Chicago Police Hid Mics, Destroyed Dashcams to Block Audio, Records Show

#210

Post by dragonwriter » Thu, Jan 28, 2016, 5:42 PM UTC

cjslep wrote: post #177

rayiner wrote: post #122

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> rosecutors and especially judges, always slow to change when change makes their jobs harder, will take longer to get used to the notion that wink-and-nod isn't going to work any more. Police unions are going to lose this fight, especially as activists are starting to become savvy to the tactical advantage of splitting Republicans between law and order fears and union busters. I'm optimistic. State budgets are such…

I envision asset forfeiture of houses and cars increasing as police budgets decrease.

Most state laws don't allow police departments to keep the proceeds of forfeitures under state law, and the policies around local agencies doing federal-law forfeitures which do allow the agencies to keep proceeds have been narrowed recently because of concerns of inappropriate use.