Officer Indicted On Murder Charges Thanks To His Own Bodycam

[Shangri-laschild]

Would it be logical to have an "audio only" setting for body cams?

But then what about lunch breaks? Some officers eat their meals in their cars. Suddenly any phone calls they make or anything that makes noise while they are on their down time is public information. And I don't know if audio only would be any less illegal than video recording in public bathrooms? Not sure on that one and it may depend on the states.

that's why I said it depended on how long they have to be out for.

Fair enough but it's hard to make a universal rule that works well for variables like that.

ultimately, though, I think we can agree that a requirement that a body/dashcam be turned on during any situation where you may need to use your police powers

Agreed and I think there should be periodic checking up. Someone in the dept checking through to make sure all traffic stops were recorded, stuff like that. That way if someone seems to have a habit of turning off their camera for things they shouldn't, it can be caught ahead of time and it also gives people more incentive to not forget.

[dendawg]

He bonded out.
To be honest, he was safer in jail.

[s_stabeler]

probably not, actually- while child abusers are the classic case of inmates hating another inmate, officers that have fallen foul of the law are another. ( bear in mind that there's a fair chance this guy put some of them in prison)

[dendawg]

It gets even more hilarious.

Both Tensing (the officer who did the shooting) and the police union are attempting to get his job back, since he didn't get a hearing before being fired, so he was "improperly dismissed." He KILLED SOMEBODY ON VIDEO!!! Do we REALLY need a hearing for THIS?

[s_stabeler]

unfortunately, they might actually have a point. In some states, if you work in a government job, you are considered to have a property interest in said job- so, you need to have a hearing to give the person a chance to explain why they think they should keep their job. Yes, even is cases like this.

It's one reason cops tend to be put on (paid) leave pending an investigation when something like this comes up, rather than immediately fired.

Of course, even IF he is reinstated because of the paperwork screwup,(which is what this would essentially be) I'm 99% sure they can simply fire him again, doing it right this time.

[Andara Bledin]

Should be fairly cut & dried if they do it right.

He lied on his report regarding his discharge of his weapon.

Since the other two liars* didn't fire their weapons, they have a reason for the disparity in response.

* One of the other officer's camera caught them colluding on what lie to tell.

[Dreamstalker]

That's exactly why many cops don't want them. They know that they took the job...simply so they could push people around. They enjoy being in control, and don't want to have to face the music if they get caught.

I think this is why my department is pushing back about getting them. The older cops who were on the force when we first moved here were polite, helpful and interacted with the community so we knew they were there. Some of the younger ones loved hassling students just because they could and yet more were on a serious power trip (we were stopped and seriously scared by an Ah-nold wannabe for the sin of having no rear inspection sticker...on a car registered in a state where that wasn't a requirement at the time).

Recently, a coworker was stopped-and-frisked for the sin of running home in the rain carrying groceries. Yes it was dark and he had a hoodie, but wtf?

[protege]

Some of the younger ones loved hassling students just because they could and yet more were on a serious power trip (we were stopped and seriously scared by an Ah-nold wannabe for the sin of having no rear inspection sticker...on a car registered in a state where that wasn't a requirement at the time).

I've had local cops follow me all the way across my borough. You know, someone that looks young, in a sports car with a loud exhaust...must be speeding At most, I might be doing 27mph in a 25. Yes, I've been pulled over for that. A low crime rate means they have nothing better to do than set up speed traps. It's not about "safety" it's about *revenue.* Why else would they hide behind billboards?

Last month, when I was getting into my car, I had a cop pull in behind me, and bust my balls as to why there weren't any registration stickers on my license plate. He got annoyed when I said that I had classic plates...which don't expire. No stickers, in other words.

That's pretty mild compared to what one of my friends experienced some years ago. He got pulled over on the long hill heading north on Route 51. Very easy to get a car well over the speed limit. Naturally, he got busted. Other than possibly speeding, he wasn't doing anything wrong.

Did a speeding ticket require multiple cops, having everyone in the car forced out and made to lie on the ground at gunpoint? Did that require the cops searching the car, tossing out everything (clothes, books, etc.) from the trunk? They were detained for an hour before the cops decided that they weren't who they were looking for.

Things like that are *exactly* why the cops should have body cams. It would weed out a lot of the bullshit, and protect everyone--the officers included.

[Shangri-laschild]

That's crap if he's able to contest it. I'm all for unions and in my dept you need a hearing if you're going to be fired UNLESS what you did was bad enough to allow for immediate dismissal which is how I think it should be.

[Greenday]

Here's the ONLY thing I can find that is going to cause a snag in this. The officer says he thought the guy was reaching for something. For a few seconds, after the guy turns his car on and the officer reaches into the car, everything starts getting shaky and blurry. All the cop has to do is say that's when the guy reached for something and BOOM! Prove that it wasn't.

Here's what I see happening: Defense lawyer presents a case where a guy was pulled over for a blatant (however dumb) offense, guy acts suspicious as hell, guy is caught with alcohol in the car, and in the process of trying to prevent a car chase which would have created a major danger to the public, the guy reached for something and he felt the need to end the situation before innocent people got hurt.

At least that's what I'd go with if I was his lawyer. Murderer? He was a God damn hero! Juries eat that shit up.

Call me a pessimist but I don't see this guy being convicted of a murder charge.

[protege]

That's crap if he's able to contest it.

Unfortunately, the department in question (Brentwood ) has a well-deserved reputation for corruption. Not long after my friend got pulled over, and made to lie on the ground, they killed someone in their custody. All of the officers involved with that case, never had to face the music for what they did. Hell, one even got a *promotion* later. About the same time, rumors started surfacing about how EMT's got called because the police go too far...and how those incidents were quietly made to "disappear."

All of that went down, simply because the driver was supposedly talking on his cell phone...and supposedly became "combative" when he exited the car. In that case, I have a feeling that cop(s) went on a power trip and the driver was simply attempting to defend himself.

[Andara Bledin]

... and in the process of trying to prevent a car chase...

This always irritates me. You want to prevent a car chase? Don't chase the car. Boom. Done in one.

Unless the individual is already causing issues prior to being pulled over, there's no reason to chase. You've got his mug on the bodycam, and you've got his plate info in the computer and on the dashcam. There is zero reason to pursue at that time.

Well, except to protect some notion of honor or masculinity or whatever other bullshit leads to these chases... >_>

[Greenday]

This always irritates me. You want to prevent a car chase? Don't chase the car. Boom. Done in one.

Unless the individual is already causing issues prior to being pulled over, there's no reason to chase. You've got his mug on the bodycam, and you've got his plate info in the computer and on the dashcam. There is zero reason to pursue at that time.

Well, except to protect some notion of honor or masculinity or whatever other bullshit leads to these chases... >_>

Or to prevent him from gunning it and killing someone driving like an ass trying to get out of the area.

[Gravekeeper]

Or to prevent him from gunning it and killing someone driving like an ass trying to get out of the area.

Police pursuit is insanely dangerous to the point even the Justice Department is trying to get cops to stop chasing everyone and to abort chases already in progress when its evident its just too dangerous to innocent bystanders. A police pursuit is actually the single most dangerous activity the police can partake in and yes, that is beyond shootings. Police pursuit kills more bystanders than any other law enforcement activity by far.

Statistically, its near 1 person a day killed during police pursuit. Out of those killed, 45% are bystanders or unwilling passengers. The other 55% are the drivers and no, not 55% are dangerous drivers, just drivers in general. Whether its a homicide suspect, bank robber, guy that ran a red or just a 10 year old on a joy ride. Officers on the other hand are rarely killed in police pursuit. One officer dies in a police pursuit for every 400 or so bystanders.

The one thing more dangerous than someone gunning it out of an area, is someone gunning it out of an area with someone else gunning it out of the area chasing him. Now you have two drivers tunnel visioning in full adrenaline mode trying to go as fast as possible without hitting anything or one.

Besides, given that in this case even the dead body in the driver's seat gunned it and took off with no one alive at the wheel..... -.-

[Aragarthiel]

That's why we need more of these, too. Not just bodycams. There is so much technology out there that would make an officer's job safer for everyone if the money would be put towards it.