Forget Eric Garner: Cops Should Want More Cameras Covering Their Every Move

Crowd-sourced video
of Eric Garner’s death at the hands of New York City cops abounds.
While it clearly shows police using a chokehold specifically banned
by the NYPD, it wasn’t enough to get a grand jury to indict Officer
Daniel Pantaleo. So we won’t have the benefit of a trial in which
the police might have presented exculpatory or mitigating
evidence.

In cases such as this one, it’s easy to understand why cops want
to shut down people photographing and videotaping them on the job.
But the fact of the matter is that dash cams and body cams are
generally the police’s best friends. From a new
column I have at Time:

Police should actually be the most supportive of
increasing the amount of footage, especially footage taken by
cameras they’re wearing. A year-long study of the Rialto,
Calif., police department found that using “officer-worn cameras”
reduced use-of-force incidents by 59% and reduced complaints
against the cops by 87.5%. Between the Brown and Garner deaths—and
cases such as the one in Cleveland where police shot and killed 12
year old Tamir Rice—law enforcement needs to work
hard to regain the trust and confidence of the American public.
Assuming they are acting in good faith and in accordance with
proper policies, literally being able to show things from their
point of view may be one of the best ways they can reassure us
all.

This isn’t a utopian solution but it is a pragmatic one that
will make things better. And between the Michael Brown, Eric
Garner, and Tamir Rice cases, police everywhere should be looking
for ways to improve their image with taxpayers everywhere.

Such technologically enabled transparency won’t end all
disputes between citizens and law enforcement but it will go a long
way to providing clarity in ambiguous cases and, as important,
minimizing bad actions by police and suspects alike.

Whole
thing here.