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A Test of Police Body Cameras Defies Expectations

nytimes.com

211–220 of 353 posts

Re: A Test of Police Body Cameras Defies Expectations

#211
post #155

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>I don't have direct experience, but I'd bet Taser doesn't let podunk police departments really "erase" video. The NYTimes article you posted hints at an uncomfortably cozy relationship between Taser, law enforcement and local governments... Yet as Taser works to sell cameras and software to more departments, it is coming under fire for questionable business practices. In some instances, it has paid police chiefs to…

Taser also operates a legal-defense-aid operation for police officers who use Tasers to break the law.

I'm gonna need a source for that.

Re: A Test of Police Body Cameras Defies Expectations

#212

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why does what the cop said matter? It sounds like a pretty wild story, so I'm not surprised someone might doubt it on first hearing about it. Did they beat you up, refuse to help you, or something like that?

Exactly, being rude and blunt right away is probably about the most efficient thing they can do. I bet 70% of the time people change their stories when confronted with that line.

>> I bet 70% of the time people change their stories when confronted with that line.

I am sure they do, that does not mean 70% of people are lying. Just means they are bullied into changing their story to appease the cops.

90% of all cases end in a plea bargain or other guilty/no-contest finding outside of a trial, do you honestly believe the police are that good, or is the legal system one big extortion racket designed to punish anyone that wants to stand up for themselves, their rights or their innocence?

Hint... the police are not that good... and thousands of innocent people are ground away by the system daily

Re: A Test of Police Body Cameras Defies Expectations

#213

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why shouldn't the public have access at least to the videos filmed in public?

Practically, that would require court-sanctioned employees to go through all the videos and edit out the non-public content before release (automation probably doesn't cut it legally). It would require a significant labor force and cost, substantially reduce the overall privacy of the system, and occasionally release private info by mistake. I'm not opposed to it in principle, but it doesn't seem worth it to me.

Fair point, have an up vote.

Re: A Test of Police Body Cameras Defies Expectations

#214
post #167

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Here is what happened... The next morning I get a call from the detective in the county to the South confirming he obtained video from the gas station where this all originated (the defendant approaching me while I’m pumping gas). Next I get a notification from Apple my iPad has been found, which I placed in lost/stolen mode. I call the detective who doesn’t answer his phone and then the police station in the county…

Damn, that's terrible. I don't even get the police's implication here-- If you're trying to buy illegal drugs, you DESERVE to be carjacked, and furthermore they shouldn't try to press charges on the carjacker until it's proven that they weren't trying to sell you illegal drugs? The mind boggles.

>> I don't even get the police's implication here-- If you're trying to buy illegal drugs, you DESERVE to be carjacked,

I dont know about "deserved" but if they can make it a drug case then they can keep the car, the ipad, and probably steal err "seize" more property from the victim under civil asset forfeiture

Further they can use that statistic to point to an increase in "drug activity" in the county opening up the dept for grants from the DEA and other federal programs under the failed War on Drugs

A simple car jacking they get no money for. Violent crime they get no money for

Drugs is where the money is

Re: A Test of Police Body Cameras Defies Expectations

#215

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But those guys out there with uniforms on are the ones trying to survive every day Yeah, no. It's not that dangerous.

Not even in the top ten. Less dangerous than grounds maintenance worker. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2015/01/28/chart... As far as straight up getting murdered, it's in the top 2, but #1 taxi drivers are murdered at almost 3x the rate.

Statistics are deceiving. No one has it in for grounds maintenance workers and taxi drivers and they typically don't go looking for trouble.

For policeman it's their job to go to dangerous places.

Re: A Test of Police Body Cameras Defies Expectations

#216

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I feel being shocked at how this person was treated is not just "armchair quarterbacking". Given the power and trust we place in police, I don't feel it's unreasonable to expect they treat people with respect.

... and that they're punished pretty severely when they betray that trust.

They are? I have been following police abuse for nearly 15 years... I do not see any evidence of that

Re: A Test of Police Body Cameras Defies Expectations

#217
post #214
post #167

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Damn, that's terrible. I don't even get the police's implication here-- If you're trying to buy illegal drugs, you DESERVE to be carjacked, and furthermore they shouldn't try to press charges on the carjacker until it's proven that they weren't trying to sell you illegal drugs? The mind boggles.

>> I don't even get the police's implication here-- If you're trying to buy illegal drugs, you DESERVE to be carjacked, I dont know about "deserved" but if they can make it a drug case then they can keep the car, the ipad, and probably steal err "seize" more property from the victim under civil asset forfeiture Further they can use that statistic to point to an increase in "drug activity" in the county opening up the…

sigh I wish you weren't right, but that's a good point.

Re: A Test of Police Body Cameras Defies Expectations

#218
post #208

This article is kind of absurd in its assumption, I think it's irresponsible. By saying that you thought police would modify their behavior in response to being filmed, and especially (but not only) by citing a bunch of studies where CRIMINALS changed their behavior in response to being filmed, you are implying that the officers would change their behavior because THEY KNOW THEIR BEHAVIOR IS WRONG and they were doing…

I think the article does, to some extent, address this when it says that the situations that we would most hope for modification in police behaviour are also likely to be the situations where the officer is under significant stress and has defaulted to their most primal response. So while I take your point that police don't think they are doing anything wrong when they misbehave, I think it is more correct to say that police aren't considering moderating their behaviour when they are in those particular situations.

Re: A Test of Police Body Cameras Defies Expectations

#219

I was recently the victim of an armed kidnapping, escaping only by jumping out of my own car from the driver seat while in gear with the gunman in the passenger seat. By the time the police arrived, my attacker escaped in my car and the first words out of the sergeants mouth was “cut the crap, quit jerking us around, what really happened?” Sure enough I was in a jurisdiction that only two months prior was equipped wi…

I guess citizens will have to be the ones wearing body cameras.

What's the law say about recording police?

Re: A Test of Police Body Cameras Defies Expectations

#220
post #219

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I guess citizens will have to be the ones wearing body cameras.

What's the law say about recording police?

I believe in every jurisdiction that it's been tested it's been found to be constitutionally protected.
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