Should on-duty cops be required to videotape their actions?

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

Would requiring on-duty cops to record themselves be a good idea?  Could this potentially stop police brutality and make it easier to try the accused fairly and efficiently?

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

So... basically we turn them into teenage girls? Maybe there could be a video sharing website of some sort, like "copchat" or something like that as well.

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

So... basically we turn them into teenage girls? Maybe there could be a video sharing website of some sort, like "copchat" or something like that as well.

Or they can just troll/jerk off on Omegle.

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

Yes, always

[TNF]

Absolutely

[Link]

Of course.  Although I think all the tapes should be sealed unless there is a good reason to look at them such as a complaint, injury, property damage, or death.  As long as you don't harass, threaten, maim or beat someone no one should have access to the tapes.  If there is a tape of you talking dirty to your wife on the phone in your squad car that really shouldn't be made fodder for the internets.

[barfbag]

There's already video cameras in the cars they drive. I live with my girlfriend, her sister, and her sister's boyfriend. He jumped on a cop when they were trying to detain his girlfriend, but there's a video in the car. He'll probably go to prison for a year. She was trying to pull her friend's boyfriend away from leaving and screamed so loud that people called the cops. About 5 cop cars came by and broke it up. They had him in a car and my girlfriend's sister in another car. Then the third car had my girlfriend's sister's boyfriend because of jumping on the cop. I picked her dad up to come to the scene, then we went to his house to tell his mom and took her to the police department. Then we took my girlfriend's sister off at the emergency room because she had cuts on her hands from when she fell. It all started when my girlfriend's sister's friend's boyfriend picked his girlfriend up and shook her for not telling him what's wrong. His girlfriend who is my girlfriend's sister's friend lied to the police about her age too so he wouldn't get in trouble. What's the worst part about this though is that her mom is aware of the situation and continues to allow him to live there. She's tried to get her mom to kick him out and all her mom says is that she didn't let him live there because he's her boyfriend. It's backwards parenting.

[Deus Naturae]

 Yes. It'd definitely have problems, but I'd still support it.

[ElectionsGuy]

Yes, now I'm not sure whose going to watch those videos but it would be better for our society that we have limited police force powers, that way we don't end up in a police state that I'm already afraid we're in.

[barfbag]

I don't see how it would be bad. Cops would have to stick to their stories if defendants could ask to watch videos in court.

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

There's already video cameras in the cars they drive. I live with my girlfriend, her sister, and her sister's boyfriend. He jumped on a cop when they were trying to detain his girlfriend, but there's a video in the car. He'll probably go to prison for a year. She was trying to pull her friend's boyfriend away from leaving and screamed so loud that people called the cops. About 5 cop cars came by and broke it up. They had him in a car and my girlfriend's sister in another car. Then the third car had my girlfriend's sister's boyfriend because of jumping on the cop. I picked her dad up to come to the scene, then we went to his house to tell his mom and took her to the police department. Then we took my girlfriend's sister off at the emergency room because she had cuts on her hands from when she fell. It all started when my girlfriend's sister's friend's boyfriend picked his girlfriend up and shook her for not telling him what's wrong. His girlfriend who is my girlfriend's sister's friend lied to the police about her age too so he wouldn't get in trouble. What's the worst part about this though is that her mom is aware of the situation and continues to allow him to live there. She's tried to get her mom to kick him out and all her mom says is that she didn't let him live there because he's her boyfriend. It's backwards parenting.

If  you're still on mod-review and someone approved this, they should resign.  If you're not, you need put back on.

[angus]

Could this potentially stop police brutality and make it easier to try the accused fairly and efficiently?

yes

Would requiring on-duty cops to record themselves be a good idea? 

no

Well, I'm not sure, but I'm leaning against such a requirement.  I like the idea of cameras in their cars, and of them being filmed generally, but I'm not sure I like the idea of absolutely requiring them to be sure that they're being filmed before doing any copstuff.  I think the time it takes to activate or check filming equipment, or the burden of such equipment being installed on their persons, might mean the difference between life and death for someone who is really in need of emergency assistance.

[barfbag]

There's already video cameras in the cars they drive. I live with my girlfriend, her sister, and her sister's boyfriend. He jumped on a cop when they were trying to detain his girlfriend, but there's a video in the car. He'll probably go to prison for a year. She was trying to pull her friend's boyfriend away from leaving and screamed so loud that people called the cops. About 5 cop cars came by and broke it up. They had him in a car and my girlfriend's sister in another car. Then the third car had my girlfriend's sister's boyfriend because of jumping on the cop. I picked her dad up to come to the scene, then we went to his house to tell his mom and took her to the police department. Then we took my girlfriend's sister off at the emergency room because she had cuts on her hands from when she fell. It all started when my girlfriend's sister's friend's boyfriend picked his girlfriend up and shook her for not telling him what's wrong. His girlfriend who is my girlfriend's sister's friend lied to the police about her age too so he wouldn't get in trouble. What's the worst part about this though is that her mom is aware of the situation and continues to allow him to live there. She's tried to get her mom to kick him out and all her mom says is that she didn't let him live there because he's her boyfriend. It's backwards parenting.

If  you're still on mod-review and someone approved this, they should resign.  If you're not, you need put back on.

What makes you say that?

[politicallefty]

I'm strongly in favour of this. Every action that a police officer does while on the job should be recorded. I don't trust most cops enough to weight their testimony high enough over a defendant to get a definitive guilty verdict.There are few things that bother me as much as police officers abusing their power and I think it happens far too often.

[Torie]

Where practicable, absolutely. It should in particular be done in jails. I have been agitating with the County Sheriff to do just that, having spent about 18 hours in the County jail. The sheriffs in there were out of control.

[Grumpier Than Thou]

Yes (normal)/f**k pigs

[Consciously Unconscious]

Who's going to watch all that footage of fat guys eating donuts? 

I know that this footage would probably only be looked at if a question or something happened, but it still seems like a waste of resources. 

[DemPGH]

There should be no question as to this. Videotaping has shed light on egregious police abuse and overuse of power. Like when they were strip searching people ALONG THE HIGHWAY in Texas. And, you know, like just recently when a cop grabbed hold of a woman who was simply standing there being processed, she was about half his size, and he power-slammed her into a cell where she injured her eye, was partly unconscious, and I think damaged an orbital bone. That cop has no business "serving and protecting" anyone or anything and hopefully that lady will have her day in court. Hopefully, it will be at the expense of the city and the personal expense of the cop.