Posted on 10/02/2014 10:42:52 AM PDT by redreno
BS - cite one good example where having a lapel cam would prevent a good officer from exercising his discretion.
“How do you say, “YeeeHaaa!” in Russian?”
It seems to be “bilyat!” but I’m not entirely sure so I wouldn’t say it in mixed company.
The other most-heard phrase is “the mother thing.”
Recorders protect both the cops (respectable,hard working ones at least) and they protect citizens as well.Cops known to disable them should be fired.Cops suspected of doing so should be suspended...without pay.More than one or two incidents should constitute proof of disabling and should result in dismissal.
I can cite you a whole class of examples
We live in world where our politicians have passed a good many agenda driven “zero tolerance “ laws where any violation, even a relatively minor or inadvertent infraction, buys you an automatic arrest combined with a draconian minimum sentencing requirement.
These zero tolerance laws exist for drug possession, domestic violence, driving while intoxicated, sex offense such as sex with a underage minor and whole host of similar laws.
If the officer catches you in the act with a video record the officer has no further discretion in the matter to let you go on your way if it is the officers determination that your infraction does merit the draconian Zero Tolerance treatment.
Instead, the officer has no choice but to arrest you and you will be convicted and be awarded the harsh minimum sentence even if your circumstance do not merit the arrest or fall under the spirt in which the zero tolerance law was written.
Examples
Your son or daughter has just turned 18 and gets caught out on a date in he back seat your car with a long time 17 1/2 year old boy or girl friend. In the past, the officer knocks on the window, shines his light into the car and laughingly tells the kids to defog the windows and get their butts home before they get in trouble. In our brave new zero tolerance world, a police officer with a video record of the comprising situation has no choice but to arrest the 18 year old adult for statutory rape and contributing to the delinquency of a minor and the 18 year old WILL be convicted due to the video evidence and will become a registered sex offender for the rest of his or her life.
Your son is driving a car that gets pulled over and one of the passengers stuffs coke or pot into your sons back pack to avoid arrest. The cop finds the drugs and believes your son's story that a scum bag friend of a friend screwed him.
No video - the cop dumps the drugs in the ditch and smiles as the friend of friend gags as several thousand bucks of his stash just went down the drain.
With Video -the cop sympathizes and believes your son and would prefer to let him go but has no choice but to arrest him because of the video record. Your son is convicted and now has a felony drug conviction on his record that will stay with him for the rest of his life.
A wife has a bad day so she goes out with the girls to have a few drinks with the girls to unwind. She comes home a bit drunk and still upset about her day and starts a fight with her husband and ends up punching him and then calling 911 to complain. The cop shows up and the husband assures the cop that there is nothing wrong, the wife just had a bad day and got a bit out of control and that this was the first and probably the last time it would ever happen. Your wife apologizes but admits to the cop she punched you.
No video - the cop takes the risk and tells you both to behave and to be more careful
With Video - cop has video of of your wife admitting to throwing punch. He has no choice but to arrest her under zero tolerance domestic violence laws and take her to jail. She is convicted by the video evidence and gets stiff mandatory sentence and she now has a permanent record of domestic violence. As a result, she cannot get a job in wide variety of fields for a one time dumb mistake. The fall out from this contributes to a divorce in the near future.
You have two glassed of wine while out to dinner. You get pulled over in a zero tolerance state where impaired to slightest extent is the standard for DUI. You are not drunk by any means, but you are a slight bit tipsy.
No Video, the cop either lets you go on your way, has you call a cab or has some one come and pick you up - just to be safe .
Video - the officer has no choice but to arrest you for DUI and you get fined $5000 and have a DUI on your record.
First no department is going to have somebody review all video and audio. They'd essentially have to double their manpower for somebody to review each and every shift video to, "watch the watchers." Instances of a cop letting somebody go for a ridiculous, zero tolerance law aren't going to become an issue unless somebody makes them an issue. The video segments will get reviewed when there's a question of the cop's discretion (i.e. in your example, he walks away from the 'minor' domestic, and the husband and wife kill each other later that night).
If a good cop gets fired for such things, he's not going to survive in that kind of environment, video or not.
BTW, every single example was a real life incident from the life of a friend or family member, not some hypothetical situation.
We have already removed far much discretionary and freedom to act latitude from street cops.
I have friends who are now prominent lawyers, business people, politicians and even a Judge who had youthful discretions that were given a pass by street cops and who took the cops advice to go forward and sin no more and cleaned up their acts.
All of them would have had their career paths blocked and careers killed before they even started but for the generosity and good faith of cops who had their futures in the palm of their hands and choose to give them a second chance.
I would prefer that the next generation of young screw ups are afforded the same opportunity
Presuming the next generation of cops handles them the same as their predecessors. That is quite a leap to take. Today's law enforcers are not the peace officers of yesteryear.
I’m not going to say the cops couldn’t be doing the sabotage. I am however going to gently suggest that in South Central, they might not be the only possible group who might want to.
Excellent comments, thanks
Well stated and reasonable in today’s world.
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