Los Angeles, CA—We’ve become
the video nation. Whether we like it or
not our images are captured hundreds of times per day. Privacy died long ago any apparently we’ve
grown accustomed to the camera invasion. The city of Los Angeles has recently taken steps to place body cameras on every patrol officer.
Cops have become a natural
target for cell phone and camera-armed citizens. Cops are always prone to getting into confrontations
primarily with dysfunctional people who are just being themselves. That kind of interaction always makes for
interesting video.
The best and earliest
examples of captured video of a infamous police interaction was the Rodney King
case in Los Angeles two decades ago. The
video was ugly to say the least. Cops
were using batons to restrain King after a vehicle chase. King was injured and sent to the
hospital.
That unblinking and legendary
video recording shot by witness George Holliday was soon delivered to the
KTLA-TV newsroom. That video proved to
be the prime evidence in the case.
The video was broadcast
relentlessly worldwide and evoked strong emotions from both the police haters
and their supporters. Was the action
justifiable? The cops were tried
twice. Once in state court where a jury
deadlocked favoring acquittal. They were
tried again in federal court where two officers were convicted.
The video became a flashpoint
that only ended after 53 lives were lost in the destructive riot following the first
jury’s failure to convict the accused cops.
Videos of cops doing their
jobs bring out voyeurism in the human species.
The popularity of the TV reality show, Cops seems endless.
Because of technology the
media has showcased news stories with videos involving cops. Without video
these stories would never see the light of day in news broadcasting or
publishing effort.
NOW WE HAVE THE POLICE
BODYCAM
The idea of cops wearing
bodycams is ostensibly to promote accountability and to preserve the best
evidence.
I know that most cops behave
well and will almost always be exonerated by video. Only a total fool would misbehave under the
watchful eye of the camera. The result
here has to be an unqualified success because most people will behave
accordingly.
The bodycams should
deescalate police confrontations and conflicts and will result in fewer arrests and
instances of violence.
People that are in physical conflict
with police have no more right to privacy than cops performing their
duties. Raising privacy issues when
violence erupts is pure baloney.
For the bodycam recordings to
have any meaning whatsoever as evidence, any instance of force or
violence should become an absolute public record. Hiding the videos while claiming privacy issues is
beyond problematic.
Congress and the various Sate
Legislatures should make it absolutely clear that every instance of force or
violence captured by any law enforcement operated camera is a public record.
We can count on the media to
blur images of overly graphic violence electing to describe rather than display
it. However credibility and
accountability dictates the public’s right to know about violent events involving
official police actions.
The public should never have
to guess what happened when there is taxpayer provided video equipment
documenting any violent act.
There will always be those public officials that will want to control what's released to the public or not. They must be over-ruled.
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