Why I always believe citizens over cops.
Jul. 19th, 2011 06:31 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
pktechgirlbackupForget it being illegal to record cops, I can't understand why it's not mandatory for them to have cameras broadcasting 24/7.* Sometimes citizens and cops disagree on events. It's not reasonable to expect citizens to carry cameras broadcasting to a tamper-evident server all day. Or at least not to keep it running 24/7, smart phone battery life being what it is. But it seems perfectly reasonable to me to expect the cops to do so, now that there's no technical barrier.
If cops viewed being unfairly accused of abuse of power as a credible threat to them, they'd be demanding webcams on their badges. From the fact they're opposed, I surmise that the benefits of abusing their power currently outweigh the risks of not being able to prove you didn't abuse your power. So even if the witnesses are lying in any given situation, I don't care, because the cops are the ones I view to have the power to change the system, and this is the leverage I have.
*You would have to secure it, since detectives may be learning privileged information, but beat cops?
If cops viewed being unfairly accused of abuse of power as a credible threat to them, they'd be demanding webcams on their badges. From the fact they're opposed, I surmise that the benefits of abusing their power currently outweigh the risks of not being able to prove you didn't abuse your power. So even if the witnesses are lying in any given situation, I don't care, because the cops are the ones I view to have the power to change the system, and this is the leverage I have.
*You would have to secure it, since detectives may be learning privileged information, but beat cops?
