A prime example of why just passing laws won’t make people behave better.
Since people are very much “fallen creatures” this does not surprise me in the least...
“Honest, Chief! Someone stole the antenna while I was in the restroom!”.......................
I think the don’t want to be sued fr doing their jobs; but in truth I think the devices protect the police and document the crimes against police during stops.
Pretty simple: if your camera doesn’t work and you don’t report it within 5 minutes you are fired.
Oops, left my antenna at the doughnut shop.
I can't imagine why.
No good cop fears surveillance of him doing his job. He should welcome it.
Easy enough to fix.
Obtain recorders that record for the entire shift (10 hr battery life) that is rechargeable via battery swap and car plug in.
Require the officers to turn on their videos at the start of their daily briefing. Require them to turn in the video files end of the shift or failure to do so results in 1/2 pay for the day. Video files are evidence and failure to retain or properly handle or tamper with evidence shall be punished according to the applicable laws.
Loss or damage of the recorder requires the officer to replace the unit at his own cost which is deducted from his paycheck.
Pass a rule that says, if there is a complaint against the officer, and the officer’s camera/mic was disabled during the incident, then the officer is automatically found liable for the charges of the complaint.
The problem would fix itself.
many cops are festooned with garish tattoos and listen to the same vile rap music as the frequent flyers whom they regularly arrest.
the cops always tell us, “if you don’t plan to break the law then you won’t mind surveillance cams...”
well what we see here is that very many cops are the repackaged criminals and their behavior reflects that more and more and more.
Cop guns good, citizen guns bad.
Cop cameras good, citizen cameras bad.
Cop drones good, citizen drones bad.
LA cops are (hopefully) able to understand as well as Russian motorists. They just need someone to do some 'splainin' to them.
Example: In a case of your word against the citizen, without dashcam or lapelcam evidence, the citizen's word is given extra weight.
Let the union bear the responsibility to check that all 'cams are in working order. Earn their dues money for once.
Effective law enforcement requires the effective use of officer discretion and on the spot judgment.
Having a running video log robs the officer of of his most valuable asset, which is his discretion.
The only way to make police-self-surveillance work as a means of preventing police misconduct is to make there be consequences for the officers themselves.
A few suggestions, all of which should have an exception for undercover operations, which should require a warrant from a court to conduct:
1. No recording device or a non-working recording device on a shift when not operating under cover results in no pay for the shift.
2. Deliberate inactivation of a recording device when its use is required, or repeated failure to wear or carry such a device when required, is cause for termination from the force.
3. Lack of a functional recording device on a non-undercover police officer results in the voiding of his authority as a peace officer. All arrests or citations he or she makes are void. Use of force is judged in the same way it would be for a citizen without law enforcement duties or authority. Testimony by a police officer inactivated by lack of functional recording devices shall be considered of less value in all legal proceedings than that of other witnesses.
Number 3 is radical, but implemented in law it would fix pretty much all problems with police misconduct real quick.
Personally, I’m in favor of all three being implemented.
Liberals just can’t get it through their heads that just because someone puts on a uniform, they are not lab rats for the liberals to experiment with. Nor do uniforms make them unthinking automatons who will obey orders without question.
Liberals have two really stupid axioms on which this is based.
1) People join uniformed services because they are incapable of performing minimum wage jobs. They are inferiors and should be treated as such. Sneering contempt.
2) Because they think this is the case, liberals believe they can round up any type of low rent gang banger, thug or criminal, put them in uniform, and they will be just as effective as professionals. (Think Obama’s personal “army”, “just as well funded and equipped as the military.” All carrying Glock .40’s, I guess.)
So imagine the unhappiness of liberals right now, finding out that the police do not want and will not tolerate being monitored by their “betters”.
I looked up the LAPD SouthEast division and found the areas they are serving. The area has a high concentration of Blacks.
“Southeast Community Police Station
Avalon Gardens, Gardena Boulevard, Hacienda Village, Imperial Courts, Jordon Downs, Nickerson Gardens, Parkside Manor, Watts”
Their unions probably hate these cameras because they prove cops are way overpaid.
Long prison terms should await any cop who is found with disabled recording equipment.
Now, can one of the local FR bootlickers please explain to me how it's just a "few" bad cops that sour the barrel?
I’ve got an idea. Make the police officers weapon unable to function , if the body camera has been tampered with or turned off. I am sure the technology is there to make this work. No camera. No bang, bang.