# Police warning each other about body cam recordings **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [July 13, 2017, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/police-warning-each-other-about-body-cam-recordings/791195 "2017-07-13T21:10:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/budget_player_cadet/32/205_2.png) [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Budget_Player_Cadet)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2017, 8:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/police-warning-each-other-about-body-cam-recordings/791195/81 "2017-07-15T08:31:50Z")
> [@XT](#): > > BTW, this isn’t limited to the police. Upthread someone mentioned cameras in the work place. All our facilities have cameras going 24/7, especially in the public areas but also in a lot of employee areas, especially those that deal with the public or handle cash or other funds. A lot of employees are worried about those cameras and complain about them quite a bit, and we get a lot of those complaints…everything from women worried that someone could look down their shirt or see them bending over to adjust their shoes or whatever to people worried their supervisors are spying on them. Then there are the worries about who has access to the video and whether the video could or would be released to the public (and my own personal issues on how long we retain it, how secure that retention has to be, whether or not it needs a chain of custody, and who pays for all this stuff). The fire department and public works folks are in similar boats as some of their vehicles are starting to get cameras in them as well, so this isn’t just police. Heck, our elected officials often remind each other that the cameras are rolling, since we stream the high-level meetings to the web. Assuming there is some validity to those complaints, there’s really no comparison with the cops. The cops need body cameras because of two important factors: 1. Cops are extremely powerful and privileged in the justice system and life in general. We have special laws regarding justified self-defense with lethal force when dealing with the police. We privilege the word of police officers above the word of civilians, to the extent that our presumption of police honesty goes far above and beyond our presumption of civilian innocence in court - a cop’s say-so is enough to put you behind bars. We trust the police with these powers. 2. It’s been shown that this trust is often _misplaced_. How often? We have no idea, there’s no stat tracking on this for some godawful reason. But we know it’s true in enough cases that an entire subset of the population feels the need to sit their kids down and give them a long, serious talk about _how not to get their lives ruined or ended by the police_, and common enough to completely destroy the trust that [damn near a supermajority](http://www.gallup.com/poll/183704/confidence-police-lowest-years.aspx) of that subgroup has in the police. And of course, that’s ignoring the whole “Boss is coming, look busy” issue. > [@Shodan](#): > > Got it. Even a cop who is falsely accused gets no sympathy. How about if he gets shot by some BLM terrorist? Still don’t care? It doesn’t matter for the argument. I may feel personal sympathy for Darren Wilson, but that’s _one_ case. Just one. How many more are there? It’s like saying, “We should make reporting rape harder, look at all these fake rape threats,” and when you’re called on it, pointing out that false rape accusations are really rare while the vast majority of all rape cases never get convictions because of how hard it is to prosecute, you point to the Duke Lacrosse Team, then you have _missed the point_. It’s not that it never happens. It’s that the risk of one so _firmly_ outweighs the risk of the other that your view of the issue would have to be basically exactly backwards to make the statements you have. What do you think is more common - corrupt or incompetent cops getting away with assault/theft/rape/murder by hiding behind the badge, or good cops losing their jobs over false murder accusations? > [@](#): > > No, they weren’t. Then what’s the problem? What do you think the odds are these cops see _any_ kind of pushback on this? Hey look, a forum thread where people complain about the police equivalent of a restaurant panicking about a health inspection (which is kind of fucking _shitty_!). Oh nooooes, the poor cops. We might hurt their feelings if any of them read this specific thread. :rolleyes: > [@](#): > > At least we understand your mission in all this. You want to complain about everything the cops do, or don’t do, or might do if they didn’t know better, or not do. If you’re unwilling to read my posts and base your responses on what I actually _said_, why even bother responding? > [@](#): > > Think of the warnings about being recorded as the moral equivalent of the Miranda warnings. “You have the right to remain silent. If you give up that right, anything you say will be misconstrued and used against you in the court of Internet opinion. You will be considered guilty until proven innocent, and, if you are finally proven to have done nothing wrong, a certain kind of person will not care about your losing your job. And you have the right to be called a shitbag because the ambulance didn’t show up fast enough.” Hmm. Court of internet opinion. Can we shoot them, then get away with no punishment because the actual court of law thinks that [this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vd7zW4aRlYE) is okay? No? The fuck the court of internet opinion. It ain’t worth _shit_. I want good cops. Cops who take the _immense_ responsibility and power we grant them seriously. Not “Boss is coming, look busy” cops. Not “oh shit, black guy tells me he has a gun somewhere, then follows my commands, _gotta open fire_” cops. Cops who take the _immense_ power and privilege they are given seriously. Your constant uncharitable interpretations of my position have about as much to do with what I actually think as the aforementioned fish on a bicycle screaming “IT’S RAINING MEN”. ---
**Author:** ![Uzi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/91b2a8/32.png) [@Uzi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uzi)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2017, 11:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/police-warning-each-other-about-body-cam-recordings/791195/82 "2017-07-15T11:46:34Z")
> [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](#): > > I have not, no. Then again, I’ve never had enough power to kill, assault, harass, and imprison with close to impunity. You have the power ever single second to kill someone. Get yourself a gun, a knife, drive your car into a crowded school yard, etc. In case you were wondering the most people who kill other people aren’t cops. > [@XT](#): > > I’m sure with the literally millions of police events and 10’s of millions of hours of video that happen each day you’ll be able to slog through them to find something amiss in there somewhere. Actually, we are pretty close (if not possible to do so now) to be able to have a computer scan video and pick out the things we want to pick out. e.g You will soon see videos on YouTube of the ‘Best of Police Nose-picking’. > [@mikecurtis](#): > > It’s not alright! DO YOUR JOB! DO IT LIKE IT IS SUPPOSED TO BE DONE! DONT CUT CORNERS! DONT DO IT ONE WAY WHEN THE BOSS ISN’T LOOKING AND ANOTHER WHEN SHE IS! > Life would be so much better if we all acted like we were in this together! Make it mandatory for everyone to wear a body cam, not just the police. Have it stream live to centralized data locations where the video is scanned for 'unlawful (and ‘deviant’) behavior). You can even have it automatically delete if nothing is found. A simple solution that not only stops the police from misbehaving, but everyone else as well. Frankly, it would make the police somewhat redundant. Tickets would show up automatically. If you don’t comply, then robocop would come after you. Plus, if your feed stops sensors would calculate your last location, check the last bit of your feed, and send someone to either come to your aid or collect you for turning off your camera (actually, we could use the feeds of others to locate you). Utopia! ---
**Author:** ![Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/budget_player_cadet/32/205_2.png) [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Budget_Player_Cadet)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2017, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/police-warning-each-other-about-body-cam-recordings/791195/83 "2017-07-15T11:59:32Z")
> [@Uzi](#): > > You have the power ever single second to kill someone. Get yourself a gun, a knife, drive your car into a crowded school yard, etc. In case you were wondering the most people who kill other people aren’t cops. And if I do, I will generally be arrested and thrown in prison almost immediately, if not executed. Meanwhile, Jeronimo Yanez is a free man. So is Timothy Loehmann. You missed the “with impunity” part. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2017, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/police-warning-each-other-about-body-cam-recordings/791195/84 "2017-07-15T12:02:02Z")
> [@Uzi](#): > > You have the power ever single second to kill someone. Get yourself a gun, a knife, drive your car into a crowded school yard, etc. In case you were wondering the most people who kill other people aren’t cops. This completely misses the point. ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2017, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/police-warning-each-other-about-body-cam-recordings/791195/85 "2017-07-16T00:23:43Z")
> [@Uzi](#): > > You have the power ever single second to kill someone. Get yourself a gun, a knife, drive your car into a crowded school yard, etc. In case you were wondering the most people who kill other people aren’t cops. > > Actually, we are pretty close (if not possible to do so now) to be able to have a computer scan video and pick out the things we want to pick out. e.g You will soon see videos on YouTube of the ‘Best of Police Nose-picking’. > > Make it mandatory for everyone to wear a body cam, not just the police. Have it stream live to centralized data locations where the video is scanned for 'unlawful (and ‘deviant’) behavior). You can even have it automatically delete if nothing is found. > A simple solution that not only stops the police from misbehaving, but everyone else as well. Frankly, it would make the police somewhat redundant. Tickets would show up automatically. If you don’t comply, then robocop would come after you. Plus, if your feed stops sensors would calculate your last location, check the last bit of your feed, and send someone to either come to your aid or collect you for turning off your camera (actually, we could use the feeds of others to locate you). Utopia! I imagine that you understand why the 4th Amendment would preclude such a requirement for the citizenry, right? ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2017, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/police-warning-each-other-about-body-cam-recordings/791195/86 "2017-07-16T00:39:07Z")
I think MikeF’s post is a pretty good explanation of things from the officers’ point of view. It’s just a reminder to do things by the book in terms of procedure and to avoid a momentary lapse in judgement with a stupid comment that could unnecessarily cause controversy. ---
**Author:** ![Uzi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/91b2a8/32.png) [@Uzi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uzi)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2017, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/police-warning-each-other-about-body-cam-recordings/791195/87 "2017-07-16T02:00:07Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > I imagine that you understand why the 4th Amendment would preclude such a requirement for the citizenry, right? Laws can be changed. If the goal is to stop criminal activity, then that should apply to everyone, not just the police, because the police are not the primary law breakers. ---
**Author:** ![UCBearcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/77aa72/32.png) [@UCBearcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UCBearcats)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2017, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/police-warning-each-other-about-body-cam-recordings/791195/88 "2017-07-16T02:17:17Z")
It is a shame that cops need something like this to stay on good behavior. Unfortunately they think they are above the law, have laws in place to further shield them from wrong doing, and refuse to turn in bad cops. ---
**Author:** ![Hocus\_Pocus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/41988e/32.png) [@Hocus\_Pocus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hocus_Pocus)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2017, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/police-warning-each-other-about-body-cam-recordings/791195/89 "2017-07-16T04:58:12Z")
The “I’m hot” comments aren’t reminders to behave. They are reminders that every comment made by anyone will be recorded (whether they are visible or not) and be subject to questioning by both investigators and attorneys. And I’m sure a defense attorney would nevvvvver take an officers comment out of context.:rolleyes: The cameras serve more to protect the officer & assist prosecution. Defense attys for drunk drivers won’t contest a case that they know the police have video of the field sobriety test. And it’s hard for dirtbags to win multi-million dollar judgements for abuse when the officer(s) behavior is on camera. Is it irrational for officers to be leery of what they say on camera? Not at all. A Seattle police officer was disciplined for using cuss words on the dash cam…while in his car with the windows up while talking to his partner. I bet that none of you are being audio recorded as well as video recorded. The one aspect of privacy that everyone seems to be overlooking is the rights of those being recorded. You want officers recorded? Fine. But what about that family experiencing one of their worst moments? What about their privacy rights? Budget Player Cadet; Do you have sympathy for the officers who were fired and/or disciplined in the Freddie Gray case? The judge not only cleared them, but excoriated the states attorney for bringing such a weak case against them. Where’s your sympathy for them? Simply admit you hate cops regardless of facts, and nothing will change that. ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2017, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/police-warning-each-other-about-body-cam-recordings/791195/90 "2017-07-16T05:10:38Z")
> [@Uzi](#): > > Laws can be changed. If the goal is to stop criminal activity, then that should apply to everyone, not just the police, because the police are not the primary law breakers. That’s _a_ goal. _Another_ goal is to protect the Constitutional rights of our citizens. ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2017, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/police-warning-each-other-about-body-cam-recordings/791195/91 "2017-07-16T05:15:49Z")
> [@Hocus\_Pocus](#): > > The one aspect of privacy that everyone seems to be overlooking is the rights of those being recorded. You want officers recorded? Fine. But what about that family experiencing one of their worst moments? What about their privacy rights? I believe it’s common for the police department policies to take into account these situations. For example, SLC PD’s does exactly this: > [@](#): > > An officer may place the body camera into Privacy Mode, during a law enforcement encounter, in the following situations. >  To consult with a supervisor or another officer >  During a significant period of inactivity >  During a conversation with a sensitive victim of a crime, a witness of a crime, or an individual who wishes to report or discuss criminal activity, if; > o The individual who is the subject of the recording requests that the officer deactivate the officer’s body camera; and > o The officer believes that the value of the information outweighs the value of the potential recording and records the request by the individual to deactivate the body camera ---
**Author:** ![Uzi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/91b2a8/32.png) [@Uzi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uzi)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2017, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/police-warning-each-other-about-body-cam-recordings/791195/92 "2017-07-16T06:07:23Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > That’s _a_ goal. _Another_ goal is to protect the Constitutional rights of our citizens. To what end? Shouldn’t everyone comply with the law, whatever that is? Isn’t that the corresponding ‘responsibility’ that goes hand in hand with ‘rights’? ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2017, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/police-warning-each-other-about-body-cam-recordings/791195/93 "2017-07-16T06:19:25Z")
We have rights whether we are obedient or not. Hence, “unalienable”. We are not required to render observance in order to get them, they are ours by birth. ---
**Author:** ![Uzi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/91b2a8/32.png) [@Uzi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uzi)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2017, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/police-warning-each-other-about-body-cam-recordings/791195/94 "2017-07-16T07:06:54Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > We have rights whether we are obedient or not. Hence, “unalienable”. We are not required to render observance in order to get them, they are ours by birth. Unless you are a cop, or employed in a workplace somewhere, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/budget_player_cadet/32/205_2.png) [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Budget_Player_Cadet)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2017, 9:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/police-warning-each-other-about-body-cam-recordings/791195/95 "2017-07-16T09:12:23Z")
> [@Uzi](#): > > Laws can be changed. If the goal is to stop criminal activity, then that should apply to everyone, not just the police, because the police are not the primary law breakers. The goal is to give _accountability_ to people with immense privilege. The goal is specifically to stop criminal activity by law enforcement, because criminal activity by law enforcement has a disproportionate negative effect on the citizens _and_ the ability of the police force to do their jobs, and because the very responsibilities we place on police officers means that they are often _without_ accountability. You clearly missed the point of my earlier post, and _continue_ to miss the point of why this matters. When I said “with impunity” I meant it. If I shoot an unarmed person, and all we have to go on is my word that it was self-defense, then I’m probably going to prison. If a cop does it, they probably won’t even face disciplinary measures at their workplace; the justice system will take them at their word because they’re cops. That’s why body cams are _so important_. And yes, this would also help exonerate good cops who are falsely accused. > [@Hocus\_Pocus](#): > > Budget Player Cadet; > Do you have sympathy for the officers who were fired and/or disciplined in the Freddie Gray case? The judge not only cleared them, but excoriated the states attorney for bringing such a weak case against them. Where’s your sympathy for them? You mean the officers who accused an innocent man of a crime, threw him in the back of their cruiser without following necessary safety precautions, and he subsequently died as a result? The officers in whose case the coroner ruled the death a homicide? The officers who were cleared of all charges after the fact, despite the fact that at least one of them obviously had to bear _some_ responsibility for this man’s death? _No, I do not have any goddamn sympathy for them!_ They are _part of the problem_. Through either negligence or malice on their part, an innocent man was killed. And yet, no justice was served. By anyone. A man died in police custody due to police negligence (or malice) and _nobody suffered any consequences for it._ At least in the Darren Wilson case you could legitimately make some argument that Wilson got screwed by the system, even if that one case doesn’t actually amount to anywhere _near_ the sheer volume of police misconduct we’ve all seen which has gone completely untouched and unpunished. This, though? This is like complaining about how unfair the legal system is by pointing to how poor innocent OJ Simpson was put through legal hell under trumped-up charges. :mad: > [@](#): > > Simply admit you hate cops regardless of facts, and nothing will change that. I will keep repeating myself: this is not true. I do not hate all cops. Are you saying I’m lying? ---
**Author:** ![Uzi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/91b2a8/32.png) [@Uzi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uzi)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2017, 9:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/police-warning-each-other-about-body-cam-recordings/791195/96 "2017-07-16T09:29:54Z")
> [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](#): > > You clearly missed the point of my earlier post, and _continue_ to miss the point of why this matters. When I said “with impunity” I meant it. If I shoot an unarmed person, and all we have to go on is my word that it was self-defense, then I’m probably going to prison. If a cop does it, they probably won’t even face disciplinary measures at their workplace; the justice system will take them at their word because they’re cops. That’s why body cams are _so important_. And yes, this would also help exonerate good cops who are falsely accused. Considering that 30-50% of homicides go unsolved (and then some people get wrongly convicted), I’d say you have a good chance of 1: not being caught, and 2: not being convicted (only a 70% conviction rate). If you plan it at least somewhat, I’d suggest that your chance of getting caught is pretty marginal. I’m not missing the point, btw. I think you are. The person who is killed doesn’t really care that it is a cop or anyone else doing the killing. The fact that they are dead is the only thing that really matters. ---
**Author:** ![Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/budget_player_cadet/32/205_2.png) [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Budget_Player_Cadet)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2017, 10:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/police-warning-each-other-about-body-cam-recordings/791195/97 "2017-07-16T10:20:24Z")
> [@Uzi](#): > > Considering that 30-50% of homicides go unsolved (and then some people get wrongly convicted), I’d say you have a good chance of 1: not being caught, and 2: not being convicted (only a 70% conviction rate). If you plan it at least somewhat, I’d suggest that your chance of getting caught is pretty marginal. > > I’m not missing the point, btw. I think you are. The person who is killed doesn’t really care that it is a cop or anyone else doing the killing. The fact that they are dead is the only thing that really matters. And if I am a cop, it doesn’t matter if I am caught, because they’d have to prove not only that it wasn’t justified self-defense (and they are extremely likely to take my word for it because I am a cop) but that I didn’t “feel threatened”, a definition vague enough to justify the murder of Philando Castile and Tamir Rice. Cops are by and large granted [the presumption of truth](https://www.popehat.com/2013/03/14/the-presumption-of-truth/), above and beyond the presumption of innocence a person like you or me has. These privileges are what make body cams so damn important. Without video, Michael Slager probably would have gotten away with murder with no consequences, just because of this presumption of truth. He still ended up with a hung jury. The privileges and powers we invest in the police make accountability very difficult without direct video evidence. ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2017, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/police-warning-each-other-about-body-cam-recordings/791195/98 "2017-07-16T16:17:25Z")
> [@Uzi](#): > > Unless you are a cop, or employed in a workplace somewhere, etc. There aren’t any 4th Amendment implications in employment condititioned on the wearing of a camera that I’m aware of. Don’t want to have to wear a camera, then quit. Do you understand how that is significantly different from your radical proposal that we “Make it mandatory for everyone to wear a body cam, not just the police. Have it stream live to centralized data locations where the video is scanned for 'unlawful (and ‘deviant’) behavior).”? ---
**Author:** ![Hocus\_Pocus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/41988e/32.png) [@Hocus\_Pocus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hocus_Pocus)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2017, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/police-warning-each-other-about-body-cam-recordings/791195/99 "2017-07-16T17:11:08Z")
[QUOTE=Budget Player Cadet] You mean the officers who accused an innocent man of a crime, [/quote] He had been involved in 20 criminal cases with 5 outstanding, including a drug possession charge (remember what he was arrested for in this incident?). Sounds like a real altar boy. :rolleyes: > [@](#): > > threw him in the back of their cruiser without following necessary safety precautions, This statement shows your knowledge about LE & specifically this case. A “cruiser” is a sedan, usually a Ford Crown Victoria or a Chevrolet Caprice. Gray was placed into a van. The seat belt policy went into effect six days prior to this incident. Can you prove that this policy was made known to the officers at the time of this incident? Additionally, when suspects are violently combative the officers are no longer required to restrain the suspect, as entering the van would place the officers in danger. > [@](#): > > and he subsequently died as a result? The officers in whose case the coroner ruled the death a homicide? The officers who were cleared of all charges after the fact, despite the fact that at least one of them obviously had to bear some responsibility for this man’s death? First off, homicide is a legal classification that is used to say that a death wasn’t due to natural causes, and was caused by a person(s). That can include the person themselves. The death investigation (of which the coroners report is just part of) will determine if any laws were broken by the death & who might be responsible if it is a crime. Also, remember what he was being arrested for. He was seen making a drug deal. He was then pursued by officers. What do you think he did with the drugs he had on him? The toxicology report indicated that he had opiates & marijuana in his system at the time of his death. Simple logic would indicate that he destroyed the evidence by ingesting it. And what can happen when one ingests a large quantity of opiates? It can result in a seizure. The other prisoner in the van initially said that he heard Gray banging around on the other side of the van, yet didn’t say it was the result of a “rough ride” as some called it. Actions have consequences, and Gray faced them. Why can’t you accept that, or are you against personal responsibility? Lastly, this garbage about the police being so bad that blacks feel the need to warn their children about the police is exactly that - garbage. So far this year 354 people in Chicago have been killed, and 1662 have been wounded by gunfire. Of the 354, police were involved in 8 of them, and the same for those shot & wounded. So using simple logic, tell me who the threat is to the black community? ---
**Author:** ![Hocus\_Pocus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/41988e/32.png) [@Hocus\_Pocus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hocus_Pocus)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2017, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/police-warning-each-other-about-body-cam-recordings/791195/100 "2017-07-16T17:26:04Z")
Yeah, police hate BWC’s. And they’re used to keep them in line. Those of you who believe that, put yourself in the shoes of these officers who were accused of throwing a suspect off a bridge: [![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QbCLvcrLqPc) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/police-warning-each-other-about-body-cam-recordings/791195.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/police-warning-each-other-about-body-cam-recordings/791195.md?page=6)