Did you know this fact about police officers wearing cameras?

[Playinghardball]

[Scuba]

1. I wonder what percentage of the drop in claims was due to ...

... better behaved cops and what percentage was due to knowing your false claim will be exposed.

[ZombieHorde]

2. Those would be interesting numbers,

but I have no idea how to honestly figure that out.

[zipplewrath]

9. Success rate

One indication would be whether the "success" rate for those that were filed changed. If the same number of complaints were found to be valid, despite the overall drop in complaints, it suggests that there were alot of unfounded complaints. i.e. the cops behavior hadn't changed but the reporting became more justified. Alternately, if the number of successful events rose, even though the total number of complaints dropped, it would suggest that the cops were now not getting away with their behaviors, but they hadn't learned to change yet.

Now, if the number of valid complaints dropped AND the number of complaints overall dropped, it suggest that the cops had either changed their behavior, OR they were actually helping defend the cops against unwarranted charges. One indication might be which had dropped more, the number of complaints, or the number of valid charges.

Personally, I agree with another poster which is everyone should be recording these exchanges, from both sides. It would probably make everyone behave a little better, even if just a little. Over all though one would think the police would be all for this. If it is dropping the number of complaints (valid or otherwise), how is that not a good thing, unless it is because the police are changing their behaviors.

[iandhr]

7. I am sure its a bit of both but not sure which is more.

[KamaAina]

8. Nice post, Officer.

[Scuba]

13. Fact is we'll never know the answer, but I'll bet the cops are much better behaved when ...

... they know there's a video record of their actions.

[Renew Deal]

27. In fairness...

There is no source for the original claim

[Half-Century Man]

12. How about, be happy with the results and let somebody get their doctorate in sociology

with the study?

If it works, with no harmful effects, use it.

[Salviati]

14. Seems to me it's win-win either way.

Some combination of better behaved cops, and fewer fraudulent complaints - what's not to like?

[HappyMe]

20. That's true.

It's good either way.

[msanthrope]

31. It's probably a combination of both--officers are forced to be more polite, and you

also have fewer marginal complaints pressed from the public.

[rrneck]

35. Bingo. nt

[Donald Ian Rankin]

38. Have some cops wear cameras that they, but not the public, knew were fake?

But even that might influence their behaviour.

Ideally, you want cameras that everyone *but* the wearer knows are fake.

[Uben]

3. That would suggest all police should wear cameras...

...of which I would have no problem with, as long as they understand we as citizens have the same right to photograph or film our interactions with the police! What's good for the goose.......

[Playinghardball]

4. Keep in mind that a lot of those complaints

from the citizens might have been unfounded and the cameras put a stop to that bs...

[Mariana]

19. That's still a positive result.

I don't see any downside, regardless of the actual cause of the reduction in complaints.

[reddread]

23. yeah this citizen never should have started it

[TheDeputy]

5. It saved my ass!!!

I had arrested some punk. His mom later came to the station and claimed that she had seen me rough up her son. She was doing the whole "my son didn't do anything, he's a good boy, that cop beat his ass" thing.

My supervisor asked if she wished to lodge a formal complaint. She said she did. He gave her the complaint form and said that the event had been recorded. He further stated that our department does charge people who file false reports.

She left.

[Comrade Grumpy]

10. Your department charges people who filed complaints that aren't upheld?

Sounds like a nice way to intimidate people into not complaining.

[TheDeputy]

16. Nope

Charges for ones that are false. Big difference.

[KurtNYC]

17. Since the arrest or encounter is recorded, it is unbiased

If one is physically or verbally mishandled during an arrest then the recording protects your right to have the matter reviewed.

If one makes up untrue charges against an officer who has done nothing wrong then the recording protects the officer and their career.

[AnotherMcIntosh]

21. Exactly.

[Renew Deal]

28. Nice story

[darkangel218]

32. heh...

[Historic NY]

6. Police are embracing technology faster than you think.....

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/22/us/in-california-a-champion-for-police-cameras.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

From 2011 but I can bet its much higher now.with in car and other video/audio/gps/etc.

One of the newest uses is streaming video. Locally a neighboring city was able to identify a shooting in progress and dispacth police before the calls came in. They tracked the suspects in hours.....even got some dramatic footage of one of the shooters running head first into a street sign while trying to escape.

http://www.policeforum.org/library/press-releases/PERFtechnologyconferencePressRelease4411.pdf

[Bernardo de La Paz]

11. It's why police get enraged when civilians photograph them, let alone video them.

It leads to lawsuits they lose and the city ends up compensating the photographer.

In some jurisdictions, it is illegal to video police because of old laws forbidding sound recording. Should be possible to rig a silent video without much trouble so no audio is recorded.

[reddread]

24. no kidding

city of Fresno was outraged by their liability from video recordings to the point that they banned unpermitted movie filming or something to that effect. They also escaped handily on the filmed beating above when they were able to lock the victim away and settle his hash for a paltry sum. Remind me not to call that lawyer.

[Fla Dem]

15. I got a 3rd party survey when I opened this post. Just saying. n/t

[gopiscrap]

18. Excellent

[Alcibiades]

22. Most officers never abuse their authority, most citizens never file false complaints

This is an excellent practice to adjudicate disagreements, though, and even prevent them. I see it as win-win.

[Renew Deal]

25. Is there a source for that fact?

[Aldo Leopold]

30. Wondering the same thing here.

Sounds like one of those facts you get from a free iPhone app. I would like to know the source.

[Kolesar]

37. It's on the "didyouknowblog" on Facebook!

Right up there with NY Times and Christian Science Monitor

[reddread]

26. good cops dont do anything about bad cops

[markpkessinger]

34. Which makes them bad cops by proxy, as far as I am concerned n/t

[Spitfire of ATJ]

29. As did donut shop sales.

[EC]

33. So does the cities with the cops wearing cameras

say that complaints are down because the citizens know they are being filmed and therefore they behave and don't complain or because cops behave knowing they are being filmed?

[TheDeputy]

36. Who knows?

The answer can't be known. I do know, however, of numerous local incidents where the cameras exonerate the officers.