Friday, January 29, 2016

Chicago police routinely sabotage their dashcams. I wondered when this would start to happen.

Courtesy of HuffPo: 

The Chicago police officer who fatally shot black teenager Laquan McDonald intentionally damaged his dashcam and never synced his microphone to it. And he's not the only one. 

More than 1,800 police maintenance logs first obtained by DNAinfo Chicago show a disturbing trend of Chicago cops intentionally and routinely tampering with their dashcams and mics in an effort to block audio. 

Jason Van Dyke, the officer charged with fatally shooting 17-year-old McDonald in October 2014, caused "intentional damage" to his dashcam at least once, along with other instances of his dashcam breaking, the logs show. The day of the killing, audio wasn't picked up by Van Dyke's car, nor by the squad car next to his. 

Here is that video.

Originally the police claimed that there was no need for dashcams and bodycams because the incidents of police brutality were so far and few between.

Since the introduction of these devices we have learned that not only is that not true, but that the incidents are more widespread and constant than anybody had anticipated.

So widespread in fact that now cops are trying to destroy evidence of their crimes so that they can continue abusing their power and stomping on the rights of the people they are sworn to protect.

If anything I think it is clear that not only do we need more cameras, but that there needs to be some serious oversight controlling the officer's ability to interfere with their audio and visual recordings.

11 comments:

  1. Leland3:01 AM

    It is obvious that the very first step would be to make it a requirement that ANY damage to the camera/voice system is to be paid for by the police officer using the vehicle. That would make them immediately test those same camera systems before they leave their office - while they do their "normal safety inspection" - and have them fixed BEFORE they left, which would also point to the previous user as the culprit.

    After that, any damage to the cameras would also require a fine that gradually grows to serious proportions - up to and including dismissal - with the number of "damage reports".

    Hit them in their wallets. Works faster.

    Oh! And the same would have to occur with their body cams if issued.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous5:03 AM

      Fire them and charge them with destroying government property.

      Delete
  2. Anonymous3:14 AM

    New rule: dashcam isn't working? You're benched at a desk job and not going out on patrol until it's fixed.
    ~Canuck~

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. With a commensurate pay adjustment for riding a desk when expected to be on patrol.

      Delete
  3. 66gardeners3:41 AM

    Next to rogue republicans, I believe rogue cops on of Americans' biggest threats.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Boscoe3:57 AM

    Maybe if they made it an automatic felony conviction with prison time to conduct police work with non-functioning cams/mics they'd start taking it seriously.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anonymous5:02 AM

    Arrest them for damaging government property, convict them, and fire their asses. Do that a few times and it will stop.
    This problem is only going on because the administration in the police dept is silently okaying it.
    I also think any successful lawsuits against a police officers needs to come out of a police depts funding and not off the backs of state tax payers.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Anonymous5:37 AM

    Ted Powell-- Aahh, another Latin lover!! I was actually just thinking this same thing yesterday!

    Who guards the guardians??

    Objective, undeniable technology, maybe.

    Do you think it might be possible to install some kind of unremoveable, impossible-to-be-tampered-with cameras, with voice recorders, on every police person's belt?

    ReplyDelete
  7. Tex paused to read the inscription over the great doorway. "Quis custodi— What does it say, Matt?
    "Quis custodiet ipsos custodes.That's Latin for: Who will watch the guardians?"
    "You read Latin, Matt?"
    "No, I just remember that bit from a book about the Patrol."

    ReplyDelete
  8. Anonymous9:22 AM

    Heinlein! Space Cadet!!

    A sign from the universe, obviously. I have to re-read it now...

    ReplyDelete
  9. Anita Winecooler4:31 PM

    I saw a clip on this issue. Those cams cost a fortune, and cops are buying small battery powered lasers, duct taping them to distort and cover the images.
    We need laws to stop this vandalism, make them pay for new cameras and fire the bastards, if they did nothing wrong, why cover it up? Real citizens, innocent people, are being killed in cold blood by those sworn to protect and serve, unfortunately, who does one call when the cops are the criminals??

    ReplyDelete

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