What happens when officers wear body cameras
By Christopher Mims, Wall Street Journal
Sometimes, like the moments leading up to when a police officer decides to shoot someone, transparency is an unalloyed good. And especially lately, technology has progressed to a point that it makes this kind of transparency not just possible, but routine.
So it is in Rialto, where the entire Southern California police force is wearing so-called body-mounted cameras, no bigger than pagers, that record everything that transpires between officers and citizens. In the first year after the cameras’ introduction, the use of force by officers declined 60 percent, and citizen complaints against police fell 88 percent.
It isn’t known how many police departments are making regular use of cameras, though it is being considered as a way of perhaps altering the course of events in places such as Ferguson, Mo., where an officer shot and killed an unarmed black teenager.
What happens when police wear cameras isn’t simply that tamper-proof recording devices provide an objective record of an encounter—though some of the reduction in complaints is apparently because of citizens declining to contest video evidence of their behavior—but a modification of the psychology of everyone involved.
The effect of third-party observers on behavior has long been known: Thomas Jefferson once advised that “whenever you do a thing, act as if all the world were watching.” Psychologists have confirmed this intuition, showing that something as primitive as a poster with a pair of glaring eyes can make test subjects behave better, and even reduce theft in an area.
One problem with the cameras, however, has been cost. Fortunately, fierce competition between the two most prominent vendors of the devices, Vievu LLC and Taser International Inc., which makes the cameras used by Rialto police, has driven the price of individual cameras down to between $300 and $400. Unfortunately, one place where expenses can mount is in the storage and management of the data they generate.
The numbers are stunning: “…use of force by officers declined 60 percent, and citizen complaints against police fell 88 percent.” At a time when confidence in police is at an all-time low, this seems like a valuable tool for restoring public confidence. Thanks for posting this.
I am sure everyone noticed that the Ferguson PD had the cameras, but had not deployed them….just stored them.
Considering eyewitness testimony in Ferguson, Mo. was invented from people flat-out lying, the whole “shot in the back” ” had hands up” false created nonsense that has led to riots by thousands of unemployed entitlement wards of the government and liberal poverty agenda, it is incidents like this that having an unbiased camera observing and recording events upon confrontations is something that should be implemented these days for the safety of all. What it would record is the increasing violence upon law enforcement nationwide and the resulting use of legitimate force by those facing the increasing threats from those who don’t care about laws, like the unemployed street thugs supported by the government poverty programs and the early release hordes of felons and those criminal aliens with long criminal records on the run from their own country here illegally. There are literally millions in this country who are uneducated, can’t pass a drug test, unskilled and unemployable, living off the welfare system while hating this country for their own choices and this danger is the most unreported of all. What is happening in Ferguson is a good example.
Yes, Justice, cameras would no doubt benefit BOTH sides of any encounter between law enforcement and private citizens. I suspect everybody would think twice and be more civil, knowing it was recorded.
The interesting thing is, as Bob pointed out, Ferguson has cameras, but doesn’t use them. Even though they may have been justified in defending themselves with force, there will always be questions, because it’s left to he said/she said.
The Ferguson incident is simply another excuse for low life ghetto rats to riot, steal and destroy. Why has there been little mention that this now dead ratt was just involved in a strong arm robbery? His parents have nothing to say about that. Nor does the liberal press mention that knucklehead was trying to get the Officer’s gun. You try for an Officers gun, is an almost instant death wish. The boy got what he asked for.
Racism is alive and well in South Lake Tahoe. Are you proud of yourselves for contributing to the negative climate? Your attitudes helped kill that boy.
C+R, if be was going for the officers gun that would infer a close range shooting, but there supposedly was no powder burns on his head (where two of the six bullets hit him) or body. Or did he have arms eight to ten feet long that were trying to grab the gun?
Arod: I made no mention of race. Look in the mirror first before you ignorantly judge others.
Please don’t feed the ugly. It likes the attention and just gets uglier.
There are now, as reported from Ferguson, somewhere near a dozen witnesses, who verify the officer’s account of the violent attack upon him by the adult nearly 300 pound Mr. Brown who had just committed a robbery using violence and who resisted violently an arrest which he thought was coming obviously when he saw the officer arrive, he used his size and strength to assault the officer and there was a report of a fight for his gun. What was caught on the store video was the real Mr. Brown using force and violence while committing a felony. Mr. Brown also has reported to have had MJ in his system and the stealing of these cigars is consistent with making them into MJ “blunts.” These are the facts, without adding race. Who has been adding the race card since day one? The rioting government poverty wards from the section 8 housing project along with violent street gangs like the New Panthers from Oakland along with the liberal media complex and the old has-been race hustlers who have gone there to cause trouble.
Bam.
Justice and catch release are cj mccoy in their newest reincarnation of ugly.
Justice: Sources please, because at the moment, news sources are only aware of 5 known eye witnesses. No other reports by the Police or other sources have suggested there are a dozen eye witnesses let alone a dozen supporting the officers side, which by the way we do not know exactly the officer side as he has yet spoke (a women claiming to be a family friend has recounted a version his wife apparently told her), and the Police Chief has given three separate conflicting accounts.
So I think I will wait for the investigation by the various parties to wind down (autopsy report, powder burn marks on clothes, clothes fibers which will give some indication of entry and exit, video footage, and eye witness accounts). Regardless of what side the eye witness accounts are, I tend to find these accounts somewhat suspect as amble evidence exist to show eye witness accounts are often unreliable no matter how credible the source (see the youtube of the dancing bear as an example). Video footage would be best, but even that is not always conclusive.
So I will hold my view on what occurred until more evidence is released. In the end, it is very possible that we may be left with an inconclusive story as to what actually happened.
Rick
go figure –
Wrong.
Once again. At least you are consistent.
Rick,
“news sources are only aware of 5 known eye witnesses.”
Where do you get your news?
Perhaps you should look beyond MSNBC. They are know to lie and race bait.
In fact reports are that the cop was attacked;
” Local St. Louis sources said Wilson suffered an “orbital blowout fracture to the eye socket.” This comes from a source within the Prosecuting Attorney’s office and confirmed by the St. Louis County Police.”
Link –
http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2014/08/breaking-report-po-darren-wilson-suffered-orbital-blowout-fracture-to-eye-socket-during-encounter-with-mike-brown/
As far as waiting for more evidence…now that Holder is involved I think evidence will disappear.
Did you hear the recording of the woman at the scene?
THe liberal media is race baiting again.
CJ in an article by Fox News it states the fatal shot was to the TOP of the head, yet no powder burns on his body, which possibly could infer that Brown was in a body posture of surrender at that point. The shot to the head was the fatal shot, and the autopsy findings say all other shots were not fatal and were survivable.
AND the article states that according to the autopsy there is NO sign of a struggle, but the examiner stated that they would need to examine the shooting officer for any signs of a struggle as well
But then again, we’re talking about Fox News.
BP,
The autopsy account and the chart of the bullet wounds support or at least do not contradict the Officers account as does the audio recording on the video tape immediately following the event as well as all accounts I’ve heard of.
I am not sure what your point is about powder burns, you don’t make sense, it sounds like your making up stuff.
AS for the struggle, what I heard is that he attacked the officer in the car.
Why would he have wounds on him from him going after the cops gun?
Have you read the accounts of the event? It does not sound like it. They are very clear and fit the scenario –
From 30 plus feet away he charged the cop and the cop shot him. All seems to fit.
FYI – Fox news is a good source of news. At least they try to be fair and balanced unlike the hate on MSNBC and shallowness of CNN. Fox does go deep and with lots of different opinions.
Is it the fact that they have lots of opinions and viewpoints that drives liberals nuts? After all they are very intolerant people them libs.
Fox haters tend to be very hate filled people that don’t tolerate other viewpoints.
Now a new shooting near Ferguson is being reported, this time a man charged officers with a knife. I already heard a person there stating you don’t shoot when they have a knife. I guess the cop is supposed to let the attacker attack first and risk being killed. This is not how it works for police or citizens. There were two police shootings in Woodland last night, guy with a knife charging officers, guy pulling a gun. Why is clear proof of violent criminals attacking in increasing numbers never enough for leftists? They always have a template to follow like Moonbeam does by letting out all the inmates he can and refusing to enforce immigration laws and increasing welfare with no verification of legal status. The leftist sees the criminal as always an “innocent” like the “gentle giant” just walking down the street shot by a cop. This was the liberal media story and all of it was false from beginning to end. If leftists really want to see trouble, really want to see the danger they are being warned of, just think what cutting off the welfare checks would do and when they run out of things to loot and burn and people to kill in their “hood” They will head for your house, then what? Pull out your Bummer-Biden sticker and wave it and beg for mercy? Call 911 and stare at the clock? You are being warned what doubling those on welfare is doing, what emptying the prisons is doing, and what keeping the borders open will do.
Go Figure: Suffice it to say, you are an ignorant idiot or whacked liberal fool. I can’t decide just yet. You continue to be blind and stupid to what is REALLY happening. I know….”why don’t we have a spelling contest. You go first”.
“Is it the fact that they have lots of opinions and viewpoints that drives liberals nuts? After all they are very intolerant people them libs.
Fox haters tend to be very hate filled people that don’t tolerate other viewpoints.”
CJ, you missed your calling. By virtue of your above statement comedy seems to be your strong suit.
Justice has hit the nail on the head. EEEEhhheheheheheheee
BP,
with that said are you done with the schoolyard approach?
back to the issue, do you have anything to counter my accusations that you don’t make sense?
Or that you appear to not have read the information and are just making stuff up.
Justice: Liberals (some) are mindless flocks of sheep. They don’t like when anyone else challenges them with the facts of life. They would rather take the facts and distort them to fit into their narrow views….and blame everyone else. When was the last time anyone read where liberals took in the heroin addict, homeless, or poor misguided ghetto thieves, or poor people, misguided strong arm robbery suspects, welfare queens with seven babies from unknown crack fathers. They ***** and whine about everyone else not having compassion for these people yet NEVER ONCE have I read where they have actually taken one of these people in. Liberals=hypocrisy all day long….blaming everyone else.
Arod: You still think your statement (” Your attitudes helped kill that boy”) makes ANY logical sense? That boy was a over sized (too many super sized meals) robber and pushed around an innocent store clerk while he stole merchandise. Your insect mentality suggests that you condone such behavior. He is now no longer a threat to society. Thank God! YOU need to go back there and join in the protest. Put your money where your liberal mouth is.
Yeah, that’s what I thought. Stay in your arm-chair.
George Zimmerman and this other murderer are heroes in rush/fox world-knuckledragger bigots
“Liberals (some) are mindless flocks of sheep.”
CR, that may be true for SOME, but probably at the same ratio as those that fall into the conservasheep category.
To argue that one political parties followers are less or more than another parties “sheep” is a ridiculous argument sans any proof.
I agree with C-R 100%. Leftists use a template where they see nothing of the truth and invent whatever cover story will work to fit the agenda. Even with the facts clear, as in the Ferguson case, they can’t or won’t allow themselves to see it. Let us all hope it is not too late to turn this around and have the recovery that this country needs that will take years of strong leadership to attain. Any further leftward drift of this country and it might be too late.
TeaTotal: You don’t even count.
Is Obama and Holder part of the problem in Ferguson?
With all the evidence including the video of the thug pushing the clerk and the audio recording that were capture right after the event it seems to me that Obama and Holder ginning up the rioters in Furguson.
This is Obama’s America, the one he told us he would deliver.
From here it gets worse.
So Justice, somehow YOU are privy to ALL the facts in this case?
How can that be when ALL the facts have yet to be released? Or do you have ALL the facts YOU need to pass judgment? There is a big difference between the two!
C+ R I would agree to an extent that “Liberals (some) are mindless flocks of sheep.”
I would say most liberals i know are of two types, progressive liberals and ignorant liberals.
The progressives are evil and are leading us to a fascist structure where crony capitalism rules. Sound familiar?
The other kind of liberal, the ignorant ones are by in large, sheep.
BP – Liberalism is not a political party.
Lights shining in the darkness of Ferguson, MO:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/08/19/ferguson-good-news_n_5689027.html
Circlejerk for the cons on this thread.
Wow. Some serious projection going on here.
Catch release
sticks and stones
CJ, C and R, and Justice. What pathetic hate filled souls you must be. So much time and energy into simply trying to prove to YOURSELVES that your backward, hate filled, non productive point of view is right and everyone who thinks different is somehow either a sheep or just stupid. I do feel sorry for you. You are like the people who just KNEW that the world was flat. Cherry picking “facts” that justify your views. Sometimes things just happen in ways that defy logic. Adapting to, learning from and overcoming these situations is what allows the human species to survive. Don’t really expect you to change or even understand, just wanted you to know that the world is round.
Well, HTU
I think in the hate category you’re rant is among the worst I have read. We’re not in your league in the Hate category, we’re not even close.
As a Hypocrite you are exceptional.
I don’t HATE you. I feel SORRY for you. Round. Always will be.:-)
CJ, what did Haddi write, specifically, that is hateful?
Quote blocks of text.
I feel sorry for all the children and future generations that will pay the heavy cost for all the damage done in America’s race for the bottom.
Liberalism/socialism not only breeds the hate you demonstrated so well above, it also destroys the society.
From here it gets worse.
America on it’s present course of Fascism leaves little for freedom loving Americans to look forward to.
As a reminder to all those that care, California is ranked as the least free state in the union.
We, those that you spewed all that hate at, we did not create the decline.
CJ, this is for you. It’s from George Orwell, in “Politics and the English Language” in Horizon (April 1946) and is still quite pertinent!
The word Fascism has now no meaning except in so far as it signifies “something not desirable”. The words democracy, socialism, freedom, patriotic, realistic, justice have each of them several different meanings which cannot be reconciled with one another. In the case of a word like democracy, not only is there no agreed definition, but the attempt to make one is resisted from all sides. It is almost universally felt that when we call a country democratic we are praising it: consequently the defenders of every kind of regime claim that it is a democracy, and fear that they might have to stop using that word if it were tied down to any one meaning. Words of this kind are often used in a consciously dishonest way. That is, the person who uses them has his own private definition, but allows his hearer to think he means something quite different.
CJ won’t answer a direct and easy question.
Copy-Paste. For once support something you say with examples.
BP,
From the current online Merriam Websters dictionary you find a more accurate definition
Fascism:
“a way of organizing a society in which a government ruled by a dictator controls the lives of the people and in which people are not allowed to disagree with the government”
BP
That went over CJ’s head like an SR 71 over Russia! “A more accurate definition”. ROFLMAO!!!
@CJ -If it’s accuracy you want(which I seriously doubt), maybe you could copy/paste the FULL definition from Mirriam-Webster. Don’t bother, I’ll do the heavy lifting for you-
“fas·cism
noun ˈfa-ˌshi-zəm also ˈfa-ˌsi-
: a way of organizing a society in which a government ruled by a dictator controls the lives of the people and in which people are not allowed to disagree with the government
: very harsh control or authority
Full Definition of FASCISM
1
often capitalized : a political philosophy, movement, or regime (as that of the Fascisti) that exalts nation and often race above the individual and that stands for a centralized autocratic government headed by a dictatorial leader, severe economic and social regimentation, and forcible suppression of opposition
2
: a tendency toward or actual exercise of strong autocratic or dictatorial control.”
And to be fair, from some other online dictionaries-
Dictionary.com:
“fascism
[fash-iz-uh m]
noun
1.
(sometimes initial capital letter) a governmental system led by a dictator having complete power, forcibly suppressing opposition and criticism, regimenting all industry, commerce, etc., and emphasizing an aggressive nationalism and often racism.
2.
(sometimes initial capital letter) the philosophy, principles, or methods of fascism.
3.
(initial capital letter) a political movement that employs the principles and methods of fascism, especially the one established by Mussolini in Italy 1922–43.”
Oxford Dictionaries:
“fascism
Pronunciation: /ˈfaʃɪz(ə)m
/
noun
[mass noun]
1An authoritarian and nationalistic right-wing system of government and social organization.
1.1(In general use) extreme right-wing, authoritarian, or intolerant views or practices.
The term Fascism was first used of the totalitarian right-wing nationalist regime of Mussolini in Italy (1922–43); the regimes of the Nazis in Germany and Franco in Spain were also Fascist. Fascism tends to include a belief in the supremacy of one national or ethnic group, a contempt for democracy, an insistence on obedience to a powerful leader, and a strong demagogic approach.”
This is why the dim shallow thinkers who post here appreciate your logorrhoeal offerings…they lack depth, substance and accuracy. Also note that the majority of definitions of ‘fascism’ that I looked at mentioned ‘a belief in a superiority of a given race/nationality that has been victimized by members of the society or world at large. I would suggest that many views which can be called ‘fascist’ would NOT self identify as such.
Italian author and educator Umberto Eco has written an interesting essay looking at ‘Fascist’ movements. It is worth perusing. Maybe the nice lady at the library can help you with the big words.
Good topic to comment on, too bad our local blog has been overrun with trolls that having a sensible conversation is almost impossible
Ignore the trolls and speak some truth here. Some of us might still learn from solid opinions.
On the Ferguson story, let the courts, Da’s office office handle it. We needs facts, not biased media hype and public opinion.
My personal opinion ( get ready trolls) is that IF ( notice caps) the police officer shot him that many times unjustified, he should walk the mainline in prison for the rest of his life. More transparency by the police is needed to maintain public trust.
Yes, cameras on police officers would definitely help both sides of the law.
Fascism is “right wing” is a Myth
Fascism is a far left wing structure of socialism similar to communism but with a capitalist facade. It is not – Free market capitalism which is a right wing form of capitalism.
Fascism is centralized state control of the markets that precipitates a Crony capitalism totally under governments controls of the markets. Government determines what will or will not be available on the market, not the market place. i.e. Obama Care
In a right wing government the free market form of capitalism, the principle determinant of what is available in the market is the market. That does not mean that the government has no control over the market regulations.
Mussolini’s Italy and Hitler’s Germany were both Socialist governments, Were they not? Hitler’s Nazis formal name was the National Socialist Party. Mussolini was a self described Marxist.
The definitions sited in the post 2 above is woefully incorrect. – regardless of the source.
Origin of the word is clear:
The term fascism is derived from the Latin Fascis meaning ‘bundle’ and later the Roman term for the symbol of ‘collectivism and power’ – “fasces”, the Roman symbol is a tied bundle of rods with a protruding ax.
It is intuitive that fascism is not right wing political concept how educators brainwashed us is amazing.
Think about it, if the principle premiss of the right wing is “Less government and less regulation” how in the world could it be a far right wing principle? Fascism is a dictator with total control, that is not right wing at all, that is left wing.
The far right end of the spectrum isn’t fascism, wouldn’t it be anarchy?
Stop listening to the liars that call themselves educators.
Four white American government employees die in a deliberate terrorist attack in Libya, the FBI shows up almost a month late and have done NOTHING to date.
One black, pot smoking, strong arm robbery, punk-ass, gang-banger gets himself smokeded in Missouri, after attacking a white police officer on patrol and within 36 hours, there are more FBI agents and DOJ staff on site than you can stir with a really big stick.
So…………………tell me again, who are the racists here?
Excellent point Louise!
“So…………………tell me again, who are the racists here?”