OTH, there is something to be said for protecting the video evidence from an unscrupulous officer too. My personal inclination would be to download my video to a device which is neither connected to the Internet or to my phone, and then erasing it from my phone.....then waiting to see what is disclosed. If enough corroborating evidence already exists out there to either support or refute the officer's statement, and they act in accordance with the evidence, then they certainly don't need MY video. OTH, if it looks like the official statement is going to cover up what actually happened, and I am in possession of the only video which contradicts the coverup, then I might likely go public with it at the same time as I provide it to the police. I'm big on accountability, but I see no reason to beat up on an officer who IS being accountable. OTH, if police are trying to avoid accountability, then I see every reason to ENFORCE it. By releasing such a video to the media at the same time as I release it to the police, it would ensure that the media holds the police accountable in the court of public opinion.Soccerdad1995 wrote:I can see the benefit to the officer of reviewing all available footage before making a statement. I'm just wondering why we shouldn't all have that same benefit when we are involved in a shooting or other possible crime.
I am taking my example from the nurse who was improperly arrested while trying to protect her unconscious client from a police violation of his rights AND while enforcing the policy which both the hospital and the department had already agreed to. She withheld releasing the videos of her false arrest until it became apparent that the department was going to whitewash the incident and let the guilty cop off Scott free. In other words, she gave the police a chance to BE accountable, before she FORCED them to be accountable. THAT is exactly how I would treat my own video recordings of an officer involved incident - hold them until the police demonstrated that they were not going to act in accordance with what I had witnessed and then come forward at that time. If they act with accountability right off the bat, then they don't need me to beat up on them.