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Police body cameras cannot replace the power of citizen witnesses Police body cameras cannot replace the power of citizen witnesses
(about 7 hours later)
The case of Walter Scott shows just how valuable a citizen with a camera can be. Video footage capturing excessive police force can make all the difference in securing justice. Yet, in the conversation about more dashboard and body cameras for police, what gets lost is the value of video shot by citizen witnesses. We don’t need more video from the police perspective, but more from our own.The case of Walter Scott shows just how valuable a citizen with a camera can be. Video footage capturing excessive police force can make all the difference in securing justice. Yet, in the conversation about more dashboard and body cameras for police, what gets lost is the value of video shot by citizen witnesses. We don’t need more video from the police perspective, but more from our own.
In North Charleston, South Carolina, where Mr. Scott was shot in the back five times by an officer on April 4, 2015, the city announced that it will deploy body-mounted cameras for each and every officer on its force. It’s a policy response that has widespread support; indeed, bodycams were a central demand from activists and Michael Brown’s family after his death in Ferguson, Missouri, while Cleveland responded to the shooting of 12-year-old Tamir Rice by buying 1,500 of the cameras.In North Charleston, South Carolina, where Mr. Scott was shot in the back five times by an officer on April 4, 2015, the city announced that it will deploy body-mounted cameras for each and every officer on its force. It’s a policy response that has widespread support; indeed, bodycams were a central demand from activists and Michael Brown’s family after his death in Ferguson, Missouri, while Cleveland responded to the shooting of 12-year-old Tamir Rice by buying 1,500 of the cameras.
Concerns about abuse and selective use of the cameras by police are well-founded, especially given that the rules are far from clear about when cameras will be on, what penalties (if any) there will be if an officer turns off their camera or loses footage, and who will have access to bodycam video. The original police accounts of the South Carolina shooting were shown to be so far from the truth – compare the original story from the Post And Courier with what we know now – that leaving police to record and publish video of events seems risky, to say the least.Concerns about abuse and selective use of the cameras by police are well-founded, especially given that the rules are far from clear about when cameras will be on, what penalties (if any) there will be if an officer turns off their camera or loses footage, and who will have access to bodycam video. The original police accounts of the South Carolina shooting were shown to be so far from the truth – compare the original story from the Post And Courier with what we know now – that leaving police to record and publish video of events seems risky, to say the least.
The energy behind the deployment of bodycams should be at least matched by an equal investment in citizen witnessing. We need clearer protections for people who have the courage to record crimes by the police and clearer penalties for officers who don’t respect that right. An officer New Jersey recently confiscated the phone of a witness who recorded the police siccing a dog on an unarmed black man, Phillip White, who later died in police custody. Some states have tried to restrict what can be filmed and to expand the leeway police have in stopping bystanders from recording them. The energy behind the deployment of bodycams should be at least matched by an equal investment in citizen witnessing. We need clearer protections for people who have the courage to record crimes by the police and clearer penalties for officers who don’t respect that right. An officer in New Jersey recently confiscated the phone of a witness who recorded the police siccing a dog on an unarmed black man, Phillip White, who later died in police custody. Some states have tried to restrict what can be filmed and to expand the leeway police have in stopping bystanders from recording them.
The tools we use to capture videos and the social media sites where they end up have a role to play in facilitating citizen witnessing. So much of the footage of human rights abuses that my organization, Witness, sees from around the world is captured on iPhones, shared through WhatsApp, posted to sites like YouTube, and spread on social media like Facebook or Twitter. These platforms need to provide features and guidance that allow users to document safely and effectively in these situations. For example, users need ways to protect identities of certain people on camera and add context or metadata so videos can be more easily verified and used in court.The tools we use to capture videos and the social media sites where they end up have a role to play in facilitating citizen witnessing. So much of the footage of human rights abuses that my organization, Witness, sees from around the world is captured on iPhones, shared through WhatsApp, posted to sites like YouTube, and spread on social media like Facebook or Twitter. These platforms need to provide features and guidance that allow users to document safely and effectively in these situations. For example, users need ways to protect identities of certain people on camera and add context or metadata so videos can be more easily verified and used in court.
As a lawyer for Walter Scott’s family said on Wednesday: “What if there was no video? What if there was no witness? Where would we be without that video?” Now more than ever we all have the potential to act with the courage that Feidin Santana displayed when he filmed that fatal scene in North Charleston. This is not a responsibility we want to leave to the police - it’s up to each of us to stand ready to be a witness and to support those who are.As a lawyer for Walter Scott’s family said on Wednesday: “What if there was no video? What if there was no witness? Where would we be without that video?” Now more than ever we all have the potential to act with the courage that Feidin Santana displayed when he filmed that fatal scene in North Charleston. This is not a responsibility we want to leave to the police - it’s up to each of us to stand ready to be a witness and to support those who are.