Cops fear being videotaped

[Dan82]

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/...ops15_CV_N.htm

Diop Kamau's home in a leafy, gated community just north of town is not easy to find — for good reason.

For more than two decades, the 52-year-old former Hawthorne, Calif., police officer has made a living embarrassing cops with a video camera.

Stung by the rough treatment of his father during a 1987 traffic stop by another California department, Kamau turned to a second career recording police across the country in compromising — often abusive — encounters with the public.

Some of the controversial videos made using hidden microphones and cameras found their way to network and cable television, exposing police to deserved criticism. Mostly, the videos helped launch a new generation of public accountability for local law enforcement. One of Kamau's most effective weapons is a battered 1968 Chevrolet Impala, wired with microphones and cameras, that Kamau, who is black,drives to test the racial profiling tendencies of local police on behalf of paying clients.

"Frankly, there are a lot of people with badges and guns who don't like me very much," Kamau says, motioning to the network of surveillance cameras that protect his home from unwanted visitors. "I step on a lot of toes."

Starting with the grainy images first broadcast by Kamau and other pioneer citizen watchdogs — notably the 1991 beating of Rodney King in Los Angeles, shot by a nearby resident— the public surveillance of cops has exploded to potentially include anyone with a cellphone...

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/...ops15_CV_N.htm

I’d personally like to make so that all cops are videotaped at all times while on duty.

[Leon481]

I appreciate everything this guy has done.

Originally Posted by Dan82

I’d personally like to make so that all cops are videotaped at all times while on duty.

Agreed wholeheartedly.

[Revan]

This guy's my hero.

It's admirable that he wants to fight against an essentially corrupt and repressive institution like the police but I doubt he'll be able to go further than this. The police and the political power are tightly linked: if policemen have and will always harass the weak (and that happens here, there and everywhere) that's because governments allow them to. They just won't let a single guy with a camera screw them.

But again, I admire his guts, though.

[Pseudojim]

Originally Posted by Mysterons

It's admirable that he wants to fight against an essentially corrupt and repressive institution like the police but I doubt he'll be able to go further than this. The police and the political power are tightly linked: if policemen have and will always harass the weak (and that happens here, there and everywhere) that's because governments allow them to. They just won't let a single guy with a camera screw them.

But again, I admire his guts, though.

that's a bit too defeatist for me, if you figure you can't fight the system, you're precluding any chance for change

Not at all, I'm a huge advocate for political resistance and mass struggle. Perhaps I didn't make myself clear: what I meant is that one single man fighting on his own against a monster is likely to get defeated. But that certainly isn't always the case, especially when people stand together against the system. Neither blind optimism nor relentless defeatism.

[Precept]

Dosen't appear to be a very Law Enforcement friendly board.

How do you plan on taping an officer the entire time he is working? Make him carry a camcorder around all day? Give me a break.

I think having a dash cam and mic on the chest is plenty.

[Leon481]

Originally Posted by Precept

Dosen't appear to be a very Law Enforcement friendly board.

How do you plan on taping an officer the entire time he is working? Make him carry a camcorder around all day? Give me a break.

I think having a dash cam and mic on the chest is plenty.

It's a start, but it can't cover everything. I've known a few people who have had unfair/unjustified experiences with the police, so I find it's best to be cautious. It comes down to, I would trust the police when it came to protection, but I wouldn't trust them in the actual enforcement of the law, if that makes any sense.

The reality is, there are bad cops out there. It may not be all of them (I don't know the percentage of good vs. bad cops) but there are enough out there to warrant being very cautious. It's a job whose nature not only attracts do-gooders, but also bullies and criminals. It's a sad fact, but one we have to keep in mind, for our own well being.

The problem is, there's no one to "police" the police. There has to be some accountability and the government has been notorious for ignoring these kinds of problems until they get national headlines or get so out of control it can't be ignored. That leaves us citizens to do it ourselves.

[Dan82]

Originally Posted by Precept

Dosen't appear to be a very Law Enforcement friendly board.

How do you plan on taping an officer the entire time he is working? Make him carry a camcorder around all day? Give me a break.

I think having a dash cam and mic on the chest is plenty.

They make cameras small enough that you can build into an offers hat or belt.

[asnj76]

Cops are humans too, and they make mistakes just like the rest of us. When cops try to pretend like they never make mistakes (i.e. racial profiling), they aren't fooling too many people. Law enforcement needs to be monitored for everyone's safety.

[Precept]

Originally Posted by Dan82

They make cameras small enough that you can build into an offers hat or belt.

MOST police departments don't wear hats on regular patrol.

Picture this. You get into a fight. What are the chances A) Your hat is going to stay on your head and B) the video camera, that's somehow in your hat, that you don't wear, is going to catch anything on video.

As far as belts - Have you seen a Police officers duty belt? There is enough on there already. There isn't room in the front for a video camera.....

There are some departments talking about a body cam, but again, I don't believe they are going to make a big difference. Sure, they will catch what happens before an incident, but when you're rolling around on the ground with someone, a body cam isn't going to do you much good. What about night time? Camera would be almost useless. What about cost? Not many departments are rolling in enough money to outfit every officer with expensive body cams that, are going to get broken fairly often.

I think it's going to come down to the public trusting the Officers. Yes there are bad Police Officers, but show me a profession that dosen't have their bad apples.

[Leon481]

Originally Posted by Precept

I think it's going to come down to the public trusting the Officers. Yes there are bad Police Officers, but show me a profession that dosen't have their bad apples.

True enough, but police officers have a unique amount of power over our individual lives. They can cause us anything from financial difficulties (tickets and fines) to giving us jail time. Pretty much anything they can do will mar our public records for life. That's not even taking into account some of the nastier stories that are a matter of public record.

Running into a bad cop could have potentially devastating effects on our lives, moreso than any other profession could allow. The official policy of the courts is to trust an officer's word over the word of a defendant unless there is solid evidence that an officer is lying. If you run into a bad cop and have no way to prove your story, it could be a disaster.

Granted, this is a worst case scenario. The worst you hear about on a normal basis is unfair tickets. Stuff as bad as going to jail over a lying cop does not happen everyday, (at least that we know of) but the fact remains that it can, and maybe even does, happen.

Not every cop deserves that kind of scrutiny. Not every cop will be unfair with you. The fact remains however, that there are enough bad ones to make most people wary. Full monitoring is pretty much the only solution that would allow cops to go about the job they are supposed to do while still 100% protecting the interests of the public. It would also help the police by gaining them more trust from the public, which would help a lot over the course of their jobs. It's not the best solution, but it is a fair one.

All that said, I actually do respect the police and the job they try to do, I just don't want to deal with people who can have so much control over your life without being prepared for the worst.

[Shevanel]

Originally Posted by Leon481

True enough, but police officers have a unique amount of power over our individual lives.

So does the FBI, so does the CIA, so does the NSA, so does the Department of Defense, so does the President.................. etc. To police the police, you'd have to police the police that are policing the police. and it's an endless spiral >_>

[Leon481]

Originally Posted by Shevanel

So does the FBI, so does the CIA, so does the NSA, so does the Department of Defense, so does the President.................. etc. To police the police, you'd have to police the police that are policing the police. and it's an endless spiral >_>

Yes, but those departments have different functions and different priorities. They aren't going to be around to bully the average citizen unless they get something specific out of it. Police are a part of our daily surroundings, that's why it's more of issue.

[Just Adam]

In uk the police can have cameras built on to the shoulder of their stab vest. Like with a back pack camera strap with a camera on top.

[Revan]

Originally Posted by Mysterons

It's admirable that he wants to fight against an essentially corrupt and repressive institution like the police but I doubt he'll be able to go further than this. The police and the political power are tightly linked: if policemen have and will always harass the weak (and that happens here, there and everywhere) that's because governments allow them to. They just won't let a single guy with a camera screw them.

But again, I admire his guts, though.

If you properly read the article bud, you'd know that it's not just him. He gets videos from other citizens and then broadcasts them online.