Cameras on Cops...

[MrScorpio]

[mikeysnot]

1. No duh.

Now if we could put those on our bought and paid for congress idiots.

[Taitertots]

2. Finally... I've been saying they should do this for years

The only reason anyone (Police or not) opposes it is because they don't want their crimes documented.

[duhneece]

29. I hope, I hope, I want ALL law enforcement

to wear these...with 'timers' or something that would reveal if they 'turn them off'....starting with all the law enforcement that have histories or brutality, or killing citizens, like the Albuquerque police.

[loli phabay]

41. they already have time and date stamps on them and it tells you

if it was activated by speed, collision, lights activated, or activation from in vehicle or remotely, they also record thirty seconds to a minute before activation.

[duhneece]

66. Thank you for the clarification...

I didn't know!

[Incitatus]

3. Good, now we need to put cameras on the rest of them.

Maybe the insurance companies that pay out their lawsuits can help force the issue.

[Ikonoklast]

26. The people that make and sell that equipment will ally themselves with insurers.

The manufacturers will use the reduction in claims as a selling point to political subdivisions with law enforcement personnel, and insurers will offer discounts to those that use them...and they will penalize those that don't with punitive premiums.


It isn't a matter of if, just when that tipping point is reached.

[Hoyt]

4. Past time to do that for all law enforcement agents.

Not sure videos should be released to public, you tube, etc., but certainly a review panel -- with citizens -- if complaints are filed. I think it will work both ways.

[pa28]

5. Maybe accountability on the job would draw a better kind of person as well.

I'm all for this.

[lumberjack_jeff]

6. There are some situations in which surveillance of workers may be appropriate.

This is probably one. Perhaps classrooms should be another.

[sulphurdunn]

56. Why classrooms?

[lumberjack_jeff]

62. For the same reason as police.

Public servants with a huge responsibility.

[sulphurdunn]

65. Why just public servants?

Why not include private school teachers, why not everyone, everywhere, all the time? Since the militarization of police forces and the rise in deadly police encounters, cameras may serve as a deterrent to that kind of behavior by police. What kind of behavior would be deterred or encouraged by cameras in classrooms?

[lumberjack_jeff]

67. I would think that liberals would generally be opposed to surveillance of workers

But we're apparently fine with carving out an exception for police. In my case, I'd extend that exception to classrooms. At least the teachers wouldn't actually have to wear the camera.

[sulphurdunn]

68. Cops carry guns

and have the authority to use force under color of law. Teachers don't. Cameras in classrooms would greatly enhance self-censorship, encourage canned curricula, permit daily enforcement of teaching to the test pedagogy and would absolutely destroy whatever remains of creativity in public school classrooms.

[lumberjack_jeff]

69. Teachers carry destinies. n/t

[sulphurdunn]

72. That's right,

and putting them under the eye of cameras while they work is one fine way to alter destiny in ways you might not like. The public school classroom is the incubator of democratic society. That concept is already under massive assault from corporatist interests, and it cannot continue in any recognizable form whatsoever under a surveillance state.

[lumberjack_jeff]

73. Why is a video camera acceptable on a school bus...

... but not in a classroom?

[sulphurdunn]

74. School buses are not classrooms.

anymore than cops are teachers.

[loudsue]

7. Wow. Just wow. Are those statistic true?

If that is the case, then it aught to be REQUIRED gear in all 50 states.

[seveneyes]

8. Make it a federal law now

Way too many rogue cops out there to not have this in place.

[damnedifIknow]

9. Bravo

And yes let's do this nationwide.

[DamnYankeeInHouston]

10. put cameras on our elected officials, too.

[Enthusiast]

24. Now that is a good idea!

[nadinbrzezinski]

11. I know a cop, now retired, who was happy as can be when

cameras were installed on the dash. Why? The he said she said mostly went away. She said the only cops who hate cameras are either young and dumb, likely, or bad cops. Bad cops do not in the force belong.

[aikoaiko]

12. I think this is a good idea for all employees.

[Ed Suspicious]

17. What do you see as the gain from putting cameras on all employees? Are you a boss? Are you an

employee? As an employee who is not in a position to abuse any position of authority by use of force on citizens, I see very little reason to be on camera while working. I imagine some micromanaging bosses might have a different view of this.

[MrScorpio]

18. I don't agree with that. nt

[aikoaiko]

19. Why not? It appears to have solved a work performance problem.

[MindPilot]

28. There is a big difference

between an employee who has the power to deliver lethal force under the authority of the government, and an employee who may be running a backhoe or sitting in a cube farm.

This is not a one-size-fits-all solution.

[FatBuddy]

30. there is a big difference between sworn personnel (peace officers, fire, etc.)

and your general employee who is not charged with ensuring public safety or upholding, defending, protecting the law or the public.

[aikoaiko]

31. Yes, there is a difference, but its really a matter of degree.

And not categorically different.

[FatBuddy]

32. oy

i was going to belabor the point, but if you can't see the manifest OBVIOUSNESS of the difference between sworn personnel and, say, a convenience store clerk, there really is no point.

tschüss!

[aikoaiko]

34. Even clerks need to wash their hands as a public health measure and many tend to food.

[FatBuddy]

35. gor blimey

WHOOOOOOSH!

[aikoaiko]

42. You'll be ok.

[FatBuddy]

43. derp.

[aikoaiko]

44. Welcome to DU. Enjoy your stay.

[FatBuddy]

45. what does "enjoy your stay" mean?

is that some "cool kids" terminology?

some insider lingo that you use to bully low post count members?

[aikoaiko]

46. Did you run out of snark already?

I guess you can give it, but have a hard time taking it.

I'll be honest, my reply to the OP was a little bit of bait for the cop haters who have no problem making life for police difficult, but would never think of doing so to a regular Joe even if there were safety and public health issues at stake.

I really don't want employees wearing cameras all the time.

[FatBuddy]

48. So you admit you came into the conversation from the standpoint of dishonesty

welcome to ignore.

[aikoaiko]

49. LOL.

[FatBuddy]

51. wow - eloquent

full of substance.

(Just joking about ignore, I was trying to be cute like you).

[TroglodyteScholar]

61. Bingo. I'll be ignoring, too

What pointless and childish behavior....

[TroglodyteScholar]

63. "Enjoy your stay"...

...is a way that people accuse other of being right wingers without saying it directly. It's a chicken-shit way to break the rules without ever bring held accountable (there's a rule against publicly calling out other members for being right winners).

Particularly embarrassing when someone jumps into a thread looking for a fight, gets one, and then quickly resorts to, "enjoy your stay." It shows a real laziness and lack of consideration that wastes everyone's time... Just because some button-pushing poster had a chip on his or her shoulder.

Sorry you've been on the receiving end of that nonsense, and I hope you find it to be the exception....

[loli phabay]

39. i guess when calls are monitored and recorded for quality control

its similar, it would be a nightmare in reality to do but it would cut down on customer complaints in every industry and probuably cut the slackers.

[LanternWaste]

37. What does the eventual cost-benefit ratio look like when movie ticket-takers and library pages wear

What does the eventual cost-benefit ratio look like when movie ticket-takers and library pages wear these?

[mountain grammy]

13. It should be part of the uniform of every cop in America.

[Nanjing to Seoul]

14. Cue the badge sniffers in 5...4...3...2...1...saying it's only the bad ones

and it's wrong to lump them all together.

[Puzzledtraveller]

33. I have not seen posters with that description on DU.

I have seen pope-sniffers however.

[JI7]

57. even those who think most cops are good should support this

because it would help in showing whether they did what they were accused of.

[Liberal_in_LA]

15. "behave a little better"? they behave a whole lot better

[bobclark86]

16. It also keeps the "other guy" honest.

It makes the cop more accountable, but it also makes them safer, especially the big cameras everyone can tell are cameras, rather than the "button" cameras other places have used.. Safer cop = happier cop. Fewer false accusations (yes, they happen) = happier cop. Happier cop = less violent cop.

The vast majority of the decrease comes from the camera keeping the cop honest, but there are other benefits, too.

[politichew]

20. Needs to be a federal law. nt

[Dyedinthewoolliberal]

21. Where's the like button for this

Hell yes they act different!

[Jamaal510]

22. Police state against the police. nt

[Enthusiast]

23. This should be a nationwide practice.

[1awake]

25. Way back when, I worked for a police force.

Only one camera was available at my unit, and it was highly coveted. If I was able, I would have had a camera and a mic on me every second. It was obvious how helpful having it was verses not.

I see only two reasons a police officer wouldn't want to wear one. One would be being afraid he/she would accidentally screw up (it happens in every job), or second, they are regularly doing things they don't want recorded.

[loli phabay]

36. nowadays, you tend to have a dash cam that comes on when lights are activated, vehicles hits somethi

or speed goes over a certain amount, they can also be activated remotely by the officer from a mike they wear. also a lot of agencies have a second camera and mike on the officer to catch his point of view and if he is out of the dash cams view. also tasers have a camera and mike as well. all are inaccessible to the cop wearing them so footage cant be deleted and they automatically download via wifi when you park near a receptor. it does vindicate officers when complaints come in and in use of force situations, its also good if a male officer has to pat a female subject for weapons, you do it on camera so there are no allegations. mosts officers like them as when you go to court there is video of the field sobriety tests, drug finds and general traffic infringements.

[rock]

27. Ethics: what you should do if everybody was watching

The camera is great for the ethically-challenged.

[loli phabay]

40. its a double edged sword in a good way, for the ethical officer it protects against allegations

there is a percentage of asses in the public who complain and lie about interactions, even accusing officers of saying stuff during traffic stops that when tapes are reviewed show no such thing. though nowadays everybody records the interaction on the cellphone anyway.

[rock]

52. Sounds like a win/win!

[ctsnowman]

38. K & R

[Dawson Leery]

47. Note

The police "unions" opposed this policy, as they oppose any policy which keeps their employees honest.

[OnlinePoker]

55. Why put the word unions in quotation marks?

Do you believe police shouldn't be allowed to be in a labor organization and if so, why not?

[Decaffeinated]

58. Cop hate taints language...

[Dawson Leery]

64. Police unions serve themselves.

They don't care about the rest of us.

Another matter is that police unions work to make laws which give them more work (make more things illegal).

[whathehell]

50. Excellent...n/t

[ecstatic]

53. Excellent idea! This is needed in all 50 states!

AG Holder? Right now, cops get to act as judge, jury, and executioner. Far more urgent of an issue than the NSA, IMHO.

[neffernin]

54. Just had a conversation about power today

The problem with many police officers is the same problem that many in the military have; when you ARE the power in the situation, people can pretty much make their own rules. The issue is systemic as those people in positions of power are much more likely to put less value on others than they do themselves; aka non-threats being shot, harassment, prejudice, targeting innocents. These cameras put the power back in the people's hands and force officers to treat them as peers and not subservient/power abusive. Making lawmakers wear such cameras during any work/political related event would quickly show where abuses of power happen. Yes yes, it won't happen, but we can all dream.

And no, not all in the military/police are power abusive. I do not envy them at all and respect those who can handle the power without abusing it.

[greiner3]

59. I nominate Chief Farrar for the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize, but;

As if the 'bad' cops will keep their cam on, much less entire 'bad' cities' cop forces will institute this forward looking rule.

[livingwagenow]

60. The police state gets the cameras turned around on them. Best idea I've heard in awhile.

KNR

[WillyT]

70. HUGE K & R !!! - Thank You !!!

[Uncle Joe]

71. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, MrScorpio.