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Body-worn cameras: Perspective is everything
The body-worn camera (BWC) has been the ul- timate dream of social justice warriors.
We were told that the introduction of the BWC would be the perfect “gotcha” for all of those evil, civil rights-violating police officers.
Well, a funny thing happened on the way to the party. Exactly the opposite has happened, and now they see how the sausage is made.
The issue with BWC and squad videos has always been the expense of storing the data. The technology has been there for a long time, but the cost has always been prohibitive. With re- cent advances in both battery power and storage capabilities, it became feasible to place a camera in every area of our lives and, most importantly, in the lives of every police officer.
While the privacy issues of the entire concept call into question all kinds of civil rights violations of police officers, it appears that the program is here to stay.
It would be really interesting if we had BWC and office cam- eras on all city of Chicago employees during work hours. The absolute outrage by our friends at the NAACP would be heard across the city, but one could successfully wager that the fraud and inefficiency would be very apparent. Remember, they tell us to “Do as I say, not as I do.”
The problem with the BWC is that it only gives one perspec- tive — that of the BWC. It does not tell us where the officer is looking, who is in close proximity or where the weapon or Tas- er is pointed. The BWC also misses the context of the stop. It can miss the officer’s perception of the background, including the crowd, vehicular traffic and subtle movements that every police officer knows and understands. But almost three years after the implementation of the BWC program, it is clear on many occasions that it has been a benefit.
First and foremost, this has been an invaluable tool for the prosecution of cases. The state’s attorney has been able to use the BWC to establish whether an offender’s actions were in fact consistent with the crime charged, if not actually record- ing the event.
The BWC has come close to eliminating the reasonable doubt standard for driving under the influence cases. No more long, arduous cross-examinations about exactly how far off the line the offender stepped.
It has also been proven by studies in other jurisdictions to show a decrease in complaints filed against police officers. The NAACP will tell you that due to the BWC running, offi- cers are more likely to not violate civil rights. Of course, since they come from the perspective that the first thing officers do when they get up in the morning is to try and devise a way to
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torment citizens. We all know that is akin to arguing with a 4 year old, so let’s not even attempt it.
There is other evidence that shows how the presence of a running BWC actually deters citizens. When a citi- zen is told the encounter is being captured, then per- haps he or she will act properly, treat the officer with some respect, and most importantly, deter said citizen
rom filing a false complaint.
From a disciplinary standpoint, the evidence in Chicago
has helped officers. Most of the time, it clearly shows that the officer did not violate the general orders and, in fact, the ba- sis of the complaint is simply a lie. Interestingly enough, state law requires COPA to refer cases where a citizen signed what is proven to be a false affidavit against a police officer to the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office for prosecution. That happens as often as Halley’s Comet appears.
Although the BWC has proven to be a positive for COPA, it can also be the demise of us. In that 1 percent case where an officer uses salty language or fails to articulate the basis of the search, it makes explaining our actions difficult.
Hence a warning to all from a disciplinary standpoint to re- member that the camera is running and you may be required to justify your actions based upon it. That is why you should use both the video and audio portions. Explain why you are searching the vehicle, explain that you detect the smell of can- nabis, and shout out those verbal commands to stop resisting. All of this may be the difference between a sustained and un- founded CR.
The biggest issue with the BWCs at COPA is not activating them. COPA will get a complaint, see that there was no use of force violation but then hit the officer with an allegation of failure to activate timely.
Review the general order. It is found at Special Order S03-14. There is a laundry list of when you must activate the device. The theme essentially is that you must activate it when you are about to engage in police activity.
Meaning: When you get the assignment and engage your lights, activate the BWC. Err on the side of caution and read the general order.
As anyone who pushes a beat car, works narcotics or in- vestigates homicides knows, police work is not always pretty. Not every offender wants to be placed in handcuffs. Emer- gency takedowns can look ugly, and sometimes our language is rough. Unfortunately, it is the nature of the beast. Nobody likes to see how the sausage is made, but everyone orders it on their pizza.
My suggestion to the social justice warriors is that they ac- cept the simple concepts of policing or drop the BWC and be- come vegetarians.
TIM GRACE
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