Out of all the comments on this thread, this is the only one with an actionable solution to the problem.
SFPD are going down this road, OPD (Oakland) and many others already do, but the officers often find an excuse for their camera to malfunction when they want, and in many cases they are instructed to turn the camera on themselves before interacting with anyone, and they simply don't. It turns out that telling the cops what to do isn't very effective.
But the existence of the cameras can solve this problem (assuming that the footage is made available for subpoena). For instance, if this particular officer has a history of having their camera malfunction right before arrests and do so at rates far higher than other officers then this fact could be brought up in court.
But how can she call the paramedics without the police?
Don't call the paramedics either. Desperately try to find your own way (or help the injured person find a way) to the hospital if something is wrong. There is no shortage of stories where people call the police, even for relatively serious issues, only to have the police show up and promptly murder the injured person or another nearby innocent.
I recently had an encounter that was a little surreal. At the art studio a forlorn man walked upstairs into the lunch room. Someone asked him how he was doing, he just looked like he was having a bad day, not super shitty, but bad. Lots of people come in and out of that studio space, it is common to see people you don't recognize. He shrugged his shoulders and said, "I just want to die." The art studio is mostly women, and his response put them all on edge. I could tell someone wanted to call the cops, the guy was definitely mentally ill. But the first thing that flashed in my mind was there was a high likelyhood this guy would be dead pretty shortly after calling them. Either by choice, suicide by cop or because that is just how the cops do things. Somehow it is ok for cops to shoot the mentally ill and get away with it. We eventually talked things out and he left before I could track him down again. I wish I handled that part better. I don't even want to call the cops when I am in danger for fear they will mistake me for someone else. Never been on the wrong side of the law, but I'd like to keep my cop exposure to zero. They never, ever, make a situation better.
Back in November, I was arrested in Brooklyn for running a red light on my bike while on my way to work in Manhattan. Normally you're given a ticket and let go, but in this instance, the officers took issue with the fact that I was not carrying ID. Both officers told me that I "could be arrested for not having ID." For clarification, I asked if it was a city, state, or national law, and the officers adamantly maintai…
I actually see a silver lining in this story. The worst thing an officer of the was able to do was inconvenience you for a day. Compare that to pretty much another other time in recorded history, and indeed still many places today, and you could have been locked up for far longer for pissing off someone in an authority position.
Now obviously this is a ridiculous situation and the officer was on a powertrip, but you did break the law and technically she was within her privileges to bring you down to holding. Still, the fact that you encountered pretty much the worst scenario possible and were only held up for a few hours from start to finish is, to me, a sign that the system is working pretty damn well.
Back in November, I was arrested in Brooklyn for running a red light on my bike while on my way to work in Manhattan. Normally you're given a ticket and let go, but in this instance, the officers took issue with the fact that I was not carrying ID. Both officers told me that I "could be arrested for not having ID." For clarification, I asked if it was a city, state, or national law, and the officers adamantly maintai…
Was there an impound charge for the bike, or other processing fees? If so, that might explain some motivation too.
Welcome to the everyday life of a black man in America. Events like and far worse this occur approx. three to four times a minute. Check out http://newjimcrow.com/ by Michelle Alexander.
And this is why I fucking HATE COPS. I don't care if it's the few, this god damn country-wide gang is a piece of shit and I will do everything I can to avoid them and teach my two children about staying away as well. Fuck these pigs.
It's really easy to focus on the bad ones, but good cops exist whether you know it or not.
Go to any online cop forum. You will find zero "good cops" - only cops making excuses for other cops.
This is why cops involved in vases like these need to be made internet famous, including high resolution photos so that face recognition software can be used to spot them at a distance.
This is the top comment right now: https://www.dropbox.com/s/ie3mmcm0acuzxgv/Screenshot%202014-... Do you read this 1000+ word well written point as "having no more substance than 'cops should die'"? Or did you simply decide that you should just ignore that post since it didn't fit your utterly insane narrative? Never mind the fact that even the exact post youre referencing doesn't even say the thing you keep claimin…
I'm not necessarily talking about the current top comment in this particular thread. Christ, man. Why do so many people attempt a proof-by-example and then act surprised when it fails to convince?
Um, so your two arguments so far have been:
"The person I'm responding to LITERALLY said he wanted all police to die"
"Well, he didn't literally say that, in fact, he didn't say anything close to that".
"fuck the police shouldn't be the top comment"
evidence is presented to the contrary
"Dude, its not like I meant THIS top comment".
There's no chance you're anything but a troll or stupid, so either way, I'm wasting my time. Cheers.
When a cop gives you instructions to leave, you leave. Not because the cop is right, but because this shit happens. And if you're naive enough to think that this shit won't happen to you, try not complying with a cop's instructions. Doesn't matter where in the US you happen to be. It's that simple. Look, here's a simple rule. In every interaction with the police, ask if you can leave. If you can, count your lucky sta…
Or as one Chicago cop famously pointed out: "to preserve disorder."
When this kind of things happen, you should call a lawyer right away. When you are not free to leave, you are under arrest. When you are under arrest, officers should read your Miranda rights. Even if they don't read them, you have the right to counsel.