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Landmark Settlement in Case of Man Arrested for Filming Police

by Midnight Oil
12 replies
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"A Baltimore City lawsuit settlement sparks major police policy and training reforms that affect everyone with a cell phone camera."

Landmark Settlement Reached In Preakness Arrest Case « CBS Baltimore
  • Profile picture of the author kenmichaels
    Originally Posted by Midnight Oil View Post

    "A Baltimore City lawsuit settlement sparks major police policy and training reforms that affect everyone with a cell phone camera."

    Landmark Settlement Reached In Preakness Arrest Case « CBS Baltimore
    It is about time.

    Hopefully this will take hold every where.
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  • Profile picture of the author sbucciarel
    Banned
    That's terrific news. That should give a few rogue cops pause.
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  • Profile picture of the author Ron Lafuddy
    I'm sure that we are only a heartbeat away from the day when all cops carry some type of hands-free, automated video recording do-dad, like Google Glass, on their person. It will kick on automatically, whenever they engage someone in conversation and record the entire event.

    Every routine traffic stop will be recorded, not just from the cop car, but up close and personal. (heads up for you folks that like to drive around nude.)

    Like it or not, it will be their video versus your video. You'll be at a serious disadvantage if you don't have one.
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  • Profile picture of the author TLTheLiberator
    Score one for civil libs!
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    "It's easier to fool people than to convince them that they have been fooled. -- Mark Twain

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  • Profile picture of the author yukon
    Banned
    The city has agreed to pay Sharp $25,000 for his trouble, but they will also pay his legal bills—to the tune of $220,000. Those payments were approved by the city Board of Estimates Wednesday morning.
    The public still got screwed over because the public is paying the $245,000 bill for the lawsuit. So each time a police officer breaks the video law the public has to pay that bill.

    Not exactly a huge victory.
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    • Profile picture of the author MikeTucker
      Originally Posted by yukon View Post

      The public still got screwed over because the public is paying the $245,000 bill for the lawsuit. So each time a police officer breaks the video law the public has to pay that bill.

      Not exactly a huge victory.
      Somehow I imagine this is going to come up
      every time the officers in question are up for
      a promotion or a raise.
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      • Profile picture of the author yukon
        Banned
        Originally Posted by MikeTucker View Post

        Somehow I imagine this is going to come up
        every time the officers in question are up for
        a promotion or a raise.
        I seriously doubt a typical patrol officer pay raise covers $240,000 in lawsuit money. The public is still paying for that lawsuit.
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        • Profile picture of the author MikeTucker
          Originally Posted by yukon View Post

          I seriously doubt a typical patrol officer pay raise covers $240,000 in lawsuit money. The public is still paying for that lawsuit.
          Perhaps it will, depending on how much of their career is left!

          But really, this is always the case. When an employee of a corporation
          makes a costly mistake, the corporation is forced to absorb those costs.

          The public employs the police, indirectly, and is responsible for
          paying their bills. So when they make a costly mistake, we have
          to absorb those costs.

          I'm really not sure it is a good idea to start trying to force
          police officers to be financially responsible for the court costs
          of their mistakes.

          In some cases it may help to ensure that they know the law better
          and follow it more closely, but I would imagine that it would also
          create one of the thickest tangles of Red Tape that can be found
          anywhere!
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    • Profile picture of the author HeySal
      Originally Posted by yukon View Post

      The public still got screwed over because the public is paying the $245,000 bill for the lawsuit. So each time a police officer breaks the video law the public has to pay that bill.

      Not exactly a huge victory.
      Yeah but we won't be paying the price in cops who think the nation runs on tyranny, and we won't be paying the bill for people wrongfully beaten, killed, or jailed.

      I just read that there's a town in CA that had so many lawless cops they started making the cops wear cameras and it brought their violence complaints almost to a stop.

      In light of the fact that cops are killing citizens at a rate that now tops that of US soldiers killed in the Iraq war, I call it a MAJOR victory.
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      Sal
      When the Roads and Paths end, learn to guide yourself through the wilderness
      Beyond the Path

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      • Profile picture of the author MikeTucker
        Originally Posted by HeySal View Post

        I just read that there's a town in CA that had so many lawless cops they started making the cops wear cameras and it brought their violence complaints almost to a stop.
        They are also experimenting with this here in Houston, TX and
        it has been a major success thus far-- The number of complaints
        on both sides has dropped significantly, and both officers and
        civilians have reported that they feel like the level of respect
        and honesty has increased.

        My only problem with these button cameras is that they are
        going to replace the dash cams with them, and I really don't
        think that is a good idea.

        The compromise will likely be that the button cameras are used
        downtown and in other areas where face-to-face encounters
        are the norm, and the dash cams will be kept for high traffic
        areas.

        Not ideal, but money is always the big question, isn't it?
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        • Profile picture of the author Midnight Oil
          Officers' body cameras raise privacy concerns

          I thought more cops were wearing body cameras by now.
          Now officers in one of every six departments are patrolling with them on their chests, lapels or sunglasses, according to Scott Greenwood, general counsel for the national American Civil Liberties Union and an expert on the cameras.
          This sounds like it might be the town Sal mentioned. Nice drop in complaints.
          The police department in Rialto, Calif., concluded a yearlong University of Cambridge study last year that found an 89 percent drop in complaints against officers during the camera trial. The chief has since mandated its deployment to its roughly 90 sworn officers.
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  • Profile picture of the author MikeTucker
    From the article:
    Sharp says the officers took his phone and deleted videos, including family videos.
    Does anyone know of cameras or apps that
    immediately upload video as it is recorded?

    That way if the device is taken, the video
    cannot be deleted or destroyed?
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