‘YouTube effect’ has left police officers under siege, law enforcement leaders say:

I remember the good old days when cops could just beat the crap of someone for no good reason, hell, even kill them on a good day, and get away with it.
What is this world coming to?

a reply to: Loveaduck

Good comment, although a bit awkwardly phrased, I think I follow.
Sarcasm is unfortunately lost on you, however.

Ya, I know, I get these pop up ideas and just roll.
It's cool when it doesn't flop tho!

a reply to: skunkape23

Well, an argument could be made that they still can and do...its just on video now.
The number of videos of cops being violent assholes and getting away with it, still far outnumber the videos of the same and a prosecution coming from it.
Their real fear is that people will eventually come to the conclusion that a cop could unjustly beat or murder someone in front of a judge and get away with it (in fact, did that just not almost happen awhile ago?), that the judicial system really is a scam front for slavery, and decide that it's time for a reset.
It will be bloody.
And they will lose.
That, is the real fear.
And everyone if them would deserve it.

Good something needed to break before the corruption becomes worse. No, of course not, the retaliation against the officers which has happened unfortunately, but rather the videos to display their ill intent so they can "stop policing aggressively".

What's their solution to their proclaimed fears of being displayed on the net, wanting to clamp down on internet freedom by having sites restrict this kind of information? To making it illegal to film officers? No need to mention as it's evident but; No amount of removing, or what have you of social media posts of videos and information is going to stop that they are corrupt.

originally posted by: Sublimecraft
a reply to: Spider879

"Undeniable accountability" (my new buzz-phrase)

Live streaming body cameras will provide undeniable accountability to a culture so entrenched in a philosophy of "it's us against the civilians" that the civilians have found a means of combating their attitude.

Thanks Youtube for forcing the bastards to be fair and honest......towards those that pay their wages.

Took the words right out my mouth. Corruption does not like being publicized.

a reply to: xXGriMe

Corruption is never comfortable for the corrupt when it is publicly exposed. Deal with it.

originally posted by: machineintelligence
a reply to: xXGriMe

Corruption is never comfortable for the corrupt when it is publicly exposed. Deal with it.

There is not a single thing that will not be brought to the light. Not a single thing. For all things are openly exposed to him with whom we have an accounting. And some things are brought to light sooner, and other things later. Nothing will remain hidden.

And yes there is a problem with the police force in the USA, just like other countries. And its basic root is society itself, for that is where you draw your recruits from. For some reason (lack of morals, good judgement, belief in God, etc) you are taught there is no moral accountability.

Everyone is being video'd everywhere nowadays, why would the police on duty be any different ?

Cell phones, CCTV's, satellites, drones... you can't step out your damn door scratching your ass without risking someone posting it up on youtube, facebook, twitter.

Big brother is watching.

And apparently, so is little brother too.

The LAPD just added a bunch of body cameras to all their patrol guys. But I have a feeling some of them just won't be on or will happen to break at just the right time, without proper regulations.

I remember when the YouTube cop post started going up. It was way more interesting then, the police would file their report and the news would put it out. Then here comes along a video showing something totally different than the report, oh the chaos it causes. But now a lot of them have wised up and don't file reports till after a week or more and do their best to make sure no detail are put out tot he media.

Homicide rates going up because they can't do their job the way they want.

www.nytimes.com...

Rivalries among organized street gangs, often over drug turf, and the availability of guns are cited as major factors in some cities, including Chicago. But more commonly, many top police officials say they are seeing a growing willingness among disenchanted young men in poor neighborhoods to use violence to settle ordinary disputes.

They are using gang killings to justify their argument. If you can't do your job with a camera pointed at you, you're doing it wrong. No where else would people bitch about the inability to effectively do their job, because they are afraid of being caught doing something illegal.

originally posted by: Loveaduck
a reply to: Spider879

Answer is clear. Get rid of youtube.
I'd be willing to sacrifice it, if that helps our officers.

We should rig up body-cameras with direct live feeds to Youtube. If our "boys" want to do their jobs, they can do them properly.

originally posted by: Spider879
...so in order to lower crime rates it is necessary to commit crimes or at least questionable acts, I say the opposite the more disrespectful LOE is to the public the more blow back it will cause and actually play into the hands of real criminals who can recruit younger members of society into their fold by pointing out that the people in blue are just another rival gang member.

Your petty immaturity aside (waaah!!), I agree with your conclusion that I put in bold above.

But that's not the overall point, nor is it the general reality of most police officers in the U.S. I would argue that what was being cited in your source is that the propensity for laypeople to upload any and all confrontations with police officers and call their actions "brutality" or unjustified is causing LEOs to be less proactive in relatively mundane situations (like groups loitering, or walking in the middle of the street, or selling stuff illegally) because they are concerned about what may transpire (possible confrontation) and how it will be perceived in the court of public opinion--a court that knows little-to-nothing concerning proper procedures of law enforcement.

So, in essence, the police are doing a watered-down version of policing because people are so quick to post ANY negative interaction with police, even if the LEO's actions were completely justified. But it's the perception in the public that often has a negative impact on the officer's life and career, even if he/she did everything correct and by the book.

I'm all for calling out LEOs when they are in the wrong, especially when people lose their lives or freedoms because of something that officers do, but there are too many false accusations and misinterpretations of what LEOs do during interactions posted on YouTube (often the videos don't show the whole story). Thisis what is causing the problem for officers, coupled with the statistically small percentage of them who actually do things in the wrong.

But like I say, the court of public opinion is trying these people, not a court of law, and the vast majority of people (especially here on ATS) who follow the types of things posted in this forum tend to be ignorant to the law, procedure, and the whole story for each video or story posted. But that doesn't matter, because by the time anything is determined to warrant a trial, the public already has condemned the officer, who often loses his job even if nothing wrong was done--all in an effort to appease the public.

So, yes, this public perception of LEOs because of YouTube videos is disproportionately bad, but that goes back to ratings, I guess...no one gets views of videos of good cops doing good things.

a reply to: Flesh699

Most of them do...and most of the videos of "bad cops" on YouTube are actually cops doing their jobs properly against spoiled, bad-apple members of the public who unnecessarily escalate the situation.

I like the idea of bodycams, because it would be good to get the whole story behind many of these fragmented videos you find. Evidence is good, regardless of what it shows. But something tells me that it would cut back on the narrative that our "boys" aren't doing their jobs properly (in the dramatic majority of cases).

a reply to: Isurrender73

A good post. Yes, I agree the "war" mentality has led to zealous young cops thinking they are some sort of Mission From God.

Poor laws, like the drug laws, should be repealed. Enforcement of poor laws leads to police state tactics.

a reply to: Spider879

I, for one, understand how the cops feel and why they're aggressive in a lot of cases. At their job, each and every interaction might result in death. No other job is like that. The human animal is wired for aggression when it is threatened. Sure cops go overboard sometimes, but it is for their safety and yours. Otherwise we could always go back to the wild wild west when every man was responsible for defending himself from violent criminals. Personally, I'd rather have someone else do it, even if it's done imperfectly.

a reply to: Spider879



LOL ! "Chiefs of some of the nation’s biggest police departments say officers in American cities have pulled back and have stopped policing as aggressively as they used to, fearing that they could be the next person in a uniform featured on a career-ending viral video. "


More like they've pulled back from murdering civilians, and behaving like the sun shines through their rectal orifices .. if they don't know how to police without murdering and acting like thugs, then it's time for them to get off the force, and change the complaining police chiefs with some who know how to run a respectful police department.

originally posted by: Loveaduck
a reply to: Spider879

Answer is clear. Get rid of youtube.
I'd be willing to sacrifice it, if that helps our officers.

You gotta be kidding. At least I hope you are.

One of the first things law enforcement does when a crime is committed, is to check for security camera footage from both, the site of the crime and/or the homes and businesses in the surrounding area.

You know what they say, "A picture is worth a thousand words." I'd say that's especially true when it comes to criminal prosecution and LEOs know this better than anyone.

This would be like Rumsfeld saying that he could'nt properly run a POW facility because photos of his officers parading naked prisoners around on dog leashes keep showing up on the internet. Give me a break!

If police officers are tired of watching Utube videos depicting the abusive tactics employed by themselves or their brethren, they should quit using those tactics and quit defending their fellow LEOs who do.

a reply to: VictorBloodworth

I don't really know how to address your response.

First you say that cops are on edge because everyone is armed (not true, btw) and then you go on to say that being armed has nothing to do with the way cops act.

I live in America, for the most part we're all pretty nice people. I'm not sure where you're getting your info from, but I know it's not experience.

Millions of people work under the lens of a camera..if cops cant gtfo, no it's just an excuse..I wonder how crime is rising with so many guns around..just doesn't make sense.

I did always find it interesting which departments liked the new body cameras and which ones didn't. Cause there never seemed to be a middle ground. They where all for them and some where already using them or they did everything they could to keep away from them and when given them cause the to "have problems".

What would cause one section to push back on something that could help them and why do they not look at the groups that do? You'd think that would be a red flag for something is up.