It feels like we’ve had video cameras on cellphones for a long time. But in reality, the release of the Kyocera Visual Phone VP-210 in Japan in 1999 is reported to be the first time consumers gained access to them. Beyond personal use, it was clear early on that cameras on phones would play an important role in documenting public events. The execution of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein was recorded by a guard who was subsequently arrested, but not until the video had become widely available on the internet.
Thank you for this important information. I think most of us are too terrified of police to film them or stand up to them. However, I have to also say that the film industry contributes to the problem of police violence. A friend of mine who did his German military duty in the border police told me he has never seen a legal arrest on American television. He also felt that the police were not trained to use guns properly in that instead of shooting a hand or leg to maim someone they shoot to kill. After he told me that I have noticed this. Then, when I was researching school shootings in different countries I noticed that in one in Germany in 2009, when the police went after the man they shot his hand to maim him. In the USA it seems like when the police shoot they always kill the person. So, on some level our society has accepted that the police get to act as judge and jury as well as arresting officer. It is not fine when someone is guilty and it is particularly troubling for all of the innocent people that are arrested. While we may have corrupt prosecutors and judges, it is still not right for the police to make the decisions on the consequences that will happen unless it is in self defense. I understand that police can be afraid, and there should be work on that in the profession. The eyes of the world are on our police force right now. I am sure this case goes on the Russian news with headlines that shows how brutal American police are. Then the Russian citizens think the United States is a horrid place to live.
Dear Joyce, your comments today are excellent not only for the statement of the facts but also for alerting us to the ACLU website to know the laws in our states.
However, I want to bring to your attention a situation that also needs discussing...Lauren McLean is the Mayor of Boise. She is a courageous Mayor who is standing up to the Militias of Idaho. the exact situation is she discovered that there are 30 policemen in the Boise force who are white supremacists and she is attempting to weed them out. She discovered that as a group they have caused 2 good Chiefs of Police to leave. Mayor McLean is up for re-election. She and her family have been under death threats, personal attacks, and protests at he home and office. She is an example of one person who regardless of personal risk has stood up for Decency and Real Law enforcement. I think you or someone you know should highlight what she stands for and the life and death forces she is fighting for all of us. Mayor Lauren McLean of Boise....a unusually courageous person, thank goodness for the rest of us....Anne Bartley, bartleya46@gmail.com
"Video has the ability to change things. And it’s a tool ordinary people can use. It can provoke a reckoning for law enforcement agencies."
Video documentation has been an essential contributor to a major and growing force for change in policing, a force I learned about only in Sept. 2022 in this WaPo piece: The insurance industry.
I agree that video is imperative but here in Alabama..... From Lagniappe (Mobile, AL) this morning: 'But shielding the video — as horrible as it is — from public view only serves to keep citizens in the dark about such incidents and opens the door to such actions being whitewashed. God knows we’ve seen that in Alabama, where the Supreme Court has ruled the public and media have no right to see police body camera footage.
If Tyre Nichols had been beaten by five Birmingham cops instead of five Memphis cops, we would never see the video because our state Supreme Court has ruled it isn’t a public record. Last August in Bay Minette, a routine traffic stop — for a broken tail light no less — somehow escalated into Otis French, Jr., 32, being shot to death by a Bay Minette officer.
There was a strong community reaction, which included peaceful protests, but BMPD has released almost no information about the incident, including the name of the officer involved. The investigation of the incident has been turned over to the Baldwin County Major Crimes Unit, a group of representatives from law enforcement agencies around the county. The history of that organization doesn’t offer much hope there will be any actual information that comes forth. BCMCU typically does a really great job of finding nothing wrong with law enforcement’s actions.
It’s important to remember the vast majority of law enforcement officers perform a very, very hard job with ethics and integrity, but when something like Tyre Nichols beating death, or Otis French’s shooting takes place, the public seeing body camera footage shouldn’t be off the table.'
Only entropy comes easy—Anton Chekhov. I've said this before, but we have really hard work to do in this country. It is not going to be easy. Our work is much harder than tossing these guy's patoots into prison. Punishment can never force people to be descent kind human beings... that is the hard part.
“Believe what you saw.” I suspect this will become the crux of the prosecution’s case when these former police officers meet their fate. Let’s hope the respective juries of their peers don’t forget a single second of that powerful body-cam video.
Every time one of these police brutality videos appears, we hope or think change will be in the making! And so far, some (as noted) minor changes, in the scope of things, have been made. However, this time, just maybe “the good cops” will prevail? I live where there’s 7+ larger municipalities in the area—and all, all have put out letters to the public as to the horror and how outrageous this was along with their promise to honor the creed of “protect and serve!”
Good evening Joyce. Thanks for the update on what to know before videotaping an incident. I’m going to check the laws in my state right away. It helps all of us to know that we are empowered as a people to record injustice and that our voices will matter. This is a game changer. Again, appreciate your valuable insight tonight 🇺🇸
Thank you. The past Police Chief of Atlanta and Louisville also made the point that supervisors have body cam to use as a tool for supervision and not just when there is a question of use of force. Regular spot checks of body cams on how arrests are being made may spot over reach before it becomes what Mr Nichols experienced.
hahahahahaha we have lived with so many unjust laws. In Arizona someone needs to tell the Police offices and Sheriff officers that a Federal Judge blocked the law. Because they are not aware. Or playing ignorant. Now that it's out that most police offices have been infiltrated by hate group members we also need to watch the elected officials who are themselves members of a white hate group.
How to remove these men/women from protect and serve since they want to harm Americans?
Your insights today made me wonder if these horrific videos of police brutality and abuse of power are being used as instructional videos for current police officers and new trainees in classroom settings and as ongoing education. If they aren’t, they should be.
I hope Tyre's premeditated, savage and sadistic lynching being memorialized will bring a new realization to the public: these men are sadistic predators who were given the wink and nod by their superiors to seek prey under the guise of a specialized force within a large department. As a country we are past the 'OMG' phase and need to stand squarely in stating what the foundation of LE culture is: we have a protected place for misogynists, narcissists, psychopaths, sadists, and racists. The men who murdered Tyre knew they were being videoed. They did not care. They felt impunity as is evidenced by their behavior afterwards. They believed their superiors would not only shield them but approve of what they did. They believed this because of the long history of LE getting away with murder. The solution? 1 Require a comprehensive psych eval before employment and random yearly psych evals for every LE by persons employed by the judicial system. Tyre's murderers would have been identified very early. 2 Institute a federal law that after sanctions or relief of duty in any LE position, that person can not obtain any other LE position. 3 Then remember every Republican voted against investigating LE to find white supremacists and vote Democratic.
Videotaping law enforcement is probably going to be part of a slow process of reforming policing. I question weather reform verses complete reinventing is the way to go. However, cameras in the public’s hands and all the cameras on building and poles around neighborhoods is and will be helpful.
I listened to a video called “Confessions of a Former Bastard Cop.” There is some confusion as to weather it was anonymously written or has a known author, but I found it thought provoking.
About training at the academy, he said, “The majority of my time in the academy was spent doing aggressive physical training and watching video after video after video of police officers being murdered on duty.” This gives the trained police officer a determined mind set on defensiveness and aggression. Couple this with a strong brotherhood code that,” If they wouldn’t Do “The Thing” themselves, they will almost never rat out another officer who Does “The Thing”, much less stop it from happening.” “The thing” being, instituting an aggressive behavior from a suspect, planting an illegal substance on a person, aggressively going after someone for a minor offense and turning it into a fight for life, etc.” You know what I’m talking about.
This officer also said that he often heard his partners say “I’d rather be judged by 12 than carried by 6”, which refers to the protection he receives from the police union when taken to court. After all, the taxpayer pays his fines and he then returns to duty. Except today, with video, police officers are having to make some changes, as witnessed in the Tyre Nichols case. Even, as a group, they attempted to paint the beating to their advantage, all the while not knowing of another camera gathering the truth.
As part of this discussion on video taping and policing gone wrong, I suggest listening to the “Confessions of a Former Bastard Cop” here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrODkqcMCSM
If nothing else it makes statement worth thinking about.
I certainly support the right to record violence and the right to display that filming on tv. But I am worried about the effect that the films have on susceptible people who are excited by it. It is a right that should not be excessively used because it may tempt or stimulate sadistic ghouls who are looking for a similar opportunity. There are other reasons for caution in demonstrating harmful behavior but primary is the risk of modeling what we don't want copied.
Video has not stemmed the tide of police misconduct and violence against innocent victims, so far: a lot more is necessary. The processes of hiring police officers; police unions; the culture within the police departments; state laws and the limits of national laws with reference law enforcement represent serious obstacles. Here are a few of the facts.
People shot to death by U.S. police 2017-2022, by race
Published by Statista Research Department, Jan 2, 2023
Sadly, the trend of fatal police shootings in the United States seems to only be increasing, with a total 1,060 civilians having been shot, 220 of whom were Black, as of December 20, 2022. In 2021, there were 1,055 fatal police shootings, and in 2020 there were 1,020 fatal shootings. Additionally, the rate of fatal police shootings among Black Americans was much higher than that for any other ethnicity, standing at 5.9 fatal shootings per million of the population per year between 2015 and December 2022.
“I am going to shoot you — what part of that don’t you understand?” threatened an officer in Little Rock, Ark., adding a profanity, as she tried to pry James Hartsfield from his car.’
‘The police officers who issued those warnings had stopped the motorists for common offenses: swerving across double yellow lines, speeding recklessly, carrying an open beer bottle. None of the men were armed. Yet within moments of pulling them over, officers fatally shot all three.’
‘The deaths are among a series of seemingly avoidable killings across the United States. Over the past five years, a New York Times investigation found, police officers have killed more than 400 drivers or passengers who were not wielding a gun or a knife, or under pursuit for a violent crime — a rate of more than one a week.’
‘Most of the officers did so with impunity. Only five have been convicted of crimes in those killings, according to a review of the publicly reported cases. Yet local governments paid at least $125 million to resolve about 40 wrongful-death lawsuits and other claims. Many stops began with common traffic violations like broken taillights or running a red light; relative to the population, Black drivers were overrepresented among those killed. (NewYorkTimes) Link below is not gifted as I do not have that option until February.’
Thank you for this important information. I think most of us are too terrified of police to film them or stand up to them. However, I have to also say that the film industry contributes to the problem of police violence. A friend of mine who did his German military duty in the border police told me he has never seen a legal arrest on American television. He also felt that the police were not trained to use guns properly in that instead of shooting a hand or leg to maim someone they shoot to kill. After he told me that I have noticed this. Then, when I was researching school shootings in different countries I noticed that in one in Germany in 2009, when the police went after the man they shot his hand to maim him. In the USA it seems like when the police shoot they always kill the person. So, on some level our society has accepted that the police get to act as judge and jury as well as arresting officer. It is not fine when someone is guilty and it is particularly troubling for all of the innocent people that are arrested. While we may have corrupt prosecutors and judges, it is still not right for the police to make the decisions on the consequences that will happen unless it is in self defense. I understand that police can be afraid, and there should be work on that in the profession. The eyes of the world are on our police force right now. I am sure this case goes on the Russian news with headlines that shows how brutal American police are. Then the Russian citizens think the United States is a horrid place to live.
Dear Joyce, your comments today are excellent not only for the statement of the facts but also for alerting us to the ACLU website to know the laws in our states.
However, I want to bring to your attention a situation that also needs discussing...Lauren McLean is the Mayor of Boise. She is a courageous Mayor who is standing up to the Militias of Idaho. the exact situation is she discovered that there are 30 policemen in the Boise force who are white supremacists and she is attempting to weed them out. She discovered that as a group they have caused 2 good Chiefs of Police to leave. Mayor McLean is up for re-election. She and her family have been under death threats, personal attacks, and protests at he home and office. She is an example of one person who regardless of personal risk has stood up for Decency and Real Law enforcement. I think you or someone you know should highlight what she stands for and the life and death forces she is fighting for all of us. Mayor Lauren McLean of Boise....a unusually courageous person, thank goodness for the rest of us....Anne Bartley, bartleya46@gmail.com
"Video has the ability to change things. And it’s a tool ordinary people can use. It can provoke a reckoning for law enforcement agencies."
Video documentation has been an essential contributor to a major and growing force for change in policing, a force I learned about only in Sept. 2022 in this WaPo piece: The insurance industry.
https://wapo.st/3Ox74BW
(That's a gift article link.)
UNACCOUNTABLE
By Kimberly Kindy
Sept. 14, 2022
Insurers force change on police departments long resistant to it
The high cost of settlements over police misconduct has led insurers to demand police departments overhaul tactics or forgo coverage
__
Joyce, you are right to point out the power of video. I didn't realize how that power was playing out further down the line.
I agree that video is imperative but here in Alabama..... From Lagniappe (Mobile, AL) this morning: 'But shielding the video — as horrible as it is — from public view only serves to keep citizens in the dark about such incidents and opens the door to such actions being whitewashed. God knows we’ve seen that in Alabama, where the Supreme Court has ruled the public and media have no right to see police body camera footage.
If Tyre Nichols had been beaten by five Birmingham cops instead of five Memphis cops, we would never see the video because our state Supreme Court has ruled it isn’t a public record. Last August in Bay Minette, a routine traffic stop — for a broken tail light no less — somehow escalated into Otis French, Jr., 32, being shot to death by a Bay Minette officer.
There was a strong community reaction, which included peaceful protests, but BMPD has released almost no information about the incident, including the name of the officer involved. The investigation of the incident has been turned over to the Baldwin County Major Crimes Unit, a group of representatives from law enforcement agencies around the county. The history of that organization doesn’t offer much hope there will be any actual information that comes forth. BCMCU typically does a really great job of finding nothing wrong with law enforcement’s actions.
It’s important to remember the vast majority of law enforcement officers perform a very, very hard job with ethics and integrity, but when something like Tyre Nichols beating death, or Otis French’s shooting takes place, the public seeing body camera footage shouldn’t be off the table.'
Only entropy comes easy—Anton Chekhov. I've said this before, but we have really hard work to do in this country. It is not going to be easy. Our work is much harder than tossing these guy's patoots into prison. Punishment can never force people to be descent kind human beings... that is the hard part.
“Believe what you saw.” I suspect this will become the crux of the prosecution’s case when these former police officers meet their fate. Let’s hope the respective juries of their peers don’t forget a single second of that powerful body-cam video.
Every time one of these police brutality videos appears, we hope or think change will be in the making! And so far, some (as noted) minor changes, in the scope of things, have been made. However, this time, just maybe “the good cops” will prevail? I live where there’s 7+ larger municipalities in the area—and all, all have put out letters to the public as to the horror and how outrageous this was along with their promise to honor the creed of “protect and serve!”
Good evening Joyce. Thanks for the update on what to know before videotaping an incident. I’m going to check the laws in my state right away. It helps all of us to know that we are empowered as a people to record injustice and that our voices will matter. This is a game changer. Again, appreciate your valuable insight tonight 🇺🇸
Thank you. The past Police Chief of Atlanta and Louisville also made the point that supervisors have body cam to use as a tool for supervision and not just when there is a question of use of force. Regular spot checks of body cams on how arrests are being made may spot over reach before it becomes what Mr Nichols experienced.
💙 Thank you, Joyce. We’re in this together.
hahahahahaha we have lived with so many unjust laws. In Arizona someone needs to tell the Police offices and Sheriff officers that a Federal Judge blocked the law. Because they are not aware. Or playing ignorant. Now that it's out that most police offices have been infiltrated by hate group members we also need to watch the elected officials who are themselves members of a white hate group.
How to remove these men/women from protect and serve since they want to harm Americans?
Your insights today made me wonder if these horrific videos of police brutality and abuse of power are being used as instructional videos for current police officers and new trainees in classroom settings and as ongoing education. If they aren’t, they should be.
I hope Tyre's premeditated, savage and sadistic lynching being memorialized will bring a new realization to the public: these men are sadistic predators who were given the wink and nod by their superiors to seek prey under the guise of a specialized force within a large department. As a country we are past the 'OMG' phase and need to stand squarely in stating what the foundation of LE culture is: we have a protected place for misogynists, narcissists, psychopaths, sadists, and racists. The men who murdered Tyre knew they were being videoed. They did not care. They felt impunity as is evidenced by their behavior afterwards. They believed their superiors would not only shield them but approve of what they did. They believed this because of the long history of LE getting away with murder. The solution? 1 Require a comprehensive psych eval before employment and random yearly psych evals for every LE by persons employed by the judicial system. Tyre's murderers would have been identified very early. 2 Institute a federal law that after sanctions or relief of duty in any LE position, that person can not obtain any other LE position. 3 Then remember every Republican voted against investigating LE to find white supremacists and vote Democratic.
Videotaping law enforcement is probably going to be part of a slow process of reforming policing. I question weather reform verses complete reinventing is the way to go. However, cameras in the public’s hands and all the cameras on building and poles around neighborhoods is and will be helpful.
I listened to a video called “Confessions of a Former Bastard Cop.” There is some confusion as to weather it was anonymously written or has a known author, but I found it thought provoking.
About training at the academy, he said, “The majority of my time in the academy was spent doing aggressive physical training and watching video after video after video of police officers being murdered on duty.” This gives the trained police officer a determined mind set on defensiveness and aggression. Couple this with a strong brotherhood code that,” If they wouldn’t Do “The Thing” themselves, they will almost never rat out another officer who Does “The Thing”, much less stop it from happening.” “The thing” being, instituting an aggressive behavior from a suspect, planting an illegal substance on a person, aggressively going after someone for a minor offense and turning it into a fight for life, etc.” You know what I’m talking about.
This officer also said that he often heard his partners say “I’d rather be judged by 12 than carried by 6”, which refers to the protection he receives from the police union when taken to court. After all, the taxpayer pays his fines and he then returns to duty. Except today, with video, police officers are having to make some changes, as witnessed in the Tyre Nichols case. Even, as a group, they attempted to paint the beating to their advantage, all the while not knowing of another camera gathering the truth.
As part of this discussion on video taping and policing gone wrong, I suggest listening to the “Confessions of a Former Bastard Cop” here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrODkqcMCSM
If nothing else it makes statement worth thinking about.
I certainly support the right to record violence and the right to display that filming on tv. But I am worried about the effect that the films have on susceptible people who are excited by it. It is a right that should not be excessively used because it may tempt or stimulate sadistic ghouls who are looking for a similar opportunity. There are other reasons for caution in demonstrating harmful behavior but primary is the risk of modeling what we don't want copied.
Video has not stemmed the tide of police misconduct and violence against innocent victims, so far: a lot more is necessary. The processes of hiring police officers; police unions; the culture within the police departments; state laws and the limits of national laws with reference law enforcement represent serious obstacles. Here are a few of the facts.
People shot to death by U.S. police 2017-2022, by race
Published by Statista Research Department, Jan 2, 2023
Sadly, the trend of fatal police shootings in the United States seems to only be increasing, with a total 1,060 civilians having been shot, 220 of whom were Black, as of December 20, 2022. In 2021, there were 1,055 fatal police shootings, and in 2020 there were 1,020 fatal shootings. Additionally, the rate of fatal police shootings among Black Americans was much higher than that for any other ethnicity, standing at 5.9 fatal shootings per million of the population per year between 2015 and December 2022.
“I am going to shoot you — what part of that don’t you understand?” threatened an officer in Little Rock, Ark., adding a profanity, as she tried to pry James Hartsfield from his car.’
‘The police officers who issued those warnings had stopped the motorists for common offenses: swerving across double yellow lines, speeding recklessly, carrying an open beer bottle. None of the men were armed. Yet within moments of pulling them over, officers fatally shot all three.’
‘The deaths are among a series of seemingly avoidable killings across the United States. Over the past five years, a New York Times investigation found, police officers have killed more than 400 drivers or passengers who were not wielding a gun or a knife, or under pursuit for a violent crime — a rate of more than one a week.’
‘Most of the officers did so with impunity. Only five have been convicted of crimes in those killings, according to a review of the publicly reported cases. Yet local governments paid at least $125 million to resolve about 40 wrongful-death lawsuits and other claims. Many stops began with common traffic violations like broken taillights or running a red light; relative to the population, Black drivers were overrepresented among those killed. (NewYorkTimes) Link below is not gifted as I do not have that option until February.’
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/31/us/police-traffic-stops-killings.html