ACLU gives St. Louis residents video cameras to monitor police

[LeighAnn]

Source: KCTV-5 CBS Kansas City

After a year of delays, the American Civil Liberties Union chapter in St. Louis is launching a program that will put video cameras in the hands of St. Louis residents so they can monitor police activity in their neighborhoods.


The ACLU of Eastern Missouri announced the program last year after television crews videotaped police punching and kicking a suspect after a car chase. Three of the officers were from the suburban Maplewood police department and one was from the St. Louis city department.

The ACLU said Wednesday it has given cameras and training to about 10 residents in north St. Louis, a higher-crime part of the city. The group declined to release the names of those participating in the video monitoring, dubbed Project Vigilant.

"The idea here is to level the playing field, so it's not just your word against the police's word," said Brenda Jones, executive director of the ACLU of Eastern Missouri. The program is not just a reaction to one incident, but years worth of complaints about police misconduct in St. Louis, she said.

Read more: http://kctv.com/Global/story.asp?S=6685896

[BleedingHeartPatriot]

1. Thank you for posting. K & R, and more from your link.

Former St. Louis Police Department Sgt. K.L. Williams is overseeing the training process for residents who will receive a camera.

Williams said the training sessions last a few hours. The primary focus of the training is to teach participants how to video tape police activity from a safe distance without interrupting arrests or searches.

"The citizens are not there to interfere with any police contacts," Williams said.

ACLU spokesman Redditt Hudson said the program will also include free workshops to teach residents about their constitutional rights when approached by police.

:kick: MKJ

[tech3149]

2. This is something we need to see more of

I've worked closely with police and have friends who were on the job, but I've also seen too many in law enforcement abuse their posistion. Some people just don't have the psychological make up to use the authority without abusing it. That sort of person might exhibit much more control at the thought that someone was monitoring their performance.

[pinto]

3. Seems somewhat 'vigilantist', but with training and in light of the history,

a reasonable response perhaps.

Reminds me, in a way, of a thought-provoking op ed piece I read a while back advocating satellite surveillance, as a public tool as well as government run operation. The writer made an interesting case for more public disclosure, not less, of surveillance info - worldwide - to level the playing field of information, verify or discount official information around the world, and decrease secrecy as a function of any nation's official policy making.

This was posed before our recent military action in Iraq, of course. In that light there would be obvious risks to personnel safety which trumps any theoretical benefits.

It was an interesting take, though.

[DeSwiss]

4. "Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?" n/t

[Melynn]

5. I hope these St. Louie residents don't use the cameras to make porn

Just kidding. :evilgrin:

Hey, you got to laugh sometimes.

[DeSwiss]

6. Well, if they do....

...I'm sure the ACLU will exercise their attorney privileges....

[Ian David]

7. There's not enough porn coming out of St. Louis anyway. n/t

[lynnertic]

8. or worse, lousy home movies of birthday parties

[John Kerry VonErich]

15. How about making geek fan films

like Harry Potter, Star Trek, and Star Wars? LOL

[B3Nut]

9. They should do that in Minneapolis

at the MPS airport, judging by the recent horrifying experience of a vegetarian violinist on a bicycle. Gotta keep the streets safe from pacifistic vegetarian violin players, dontcha know!

About time someone organized a means to keep watch on those troglodytes. Sometimes they forget who their employer is. We the people need to be more direct in reminding them.

Todd in Cheesecurdistan

[Solo_in_MD]

10. There are a number of issues associated with video taping cops

and there have been arrests for it (mostly under obstruction, interference, and eavesdropping). Care needs to be taken here

[Phx_Dem]

11. Got anything specific?

There is a group in the Phoenix metro area that videotapes police all the time. Most police officers tape record all their interactions with the public, so I don't see what's the big deal about taping cops.

Here is a link to that org I was talking about:
http://www.phoenixcopwatch.org/

[Solo_in_MD]

13. Have to go find it...People have been arrested for doing it, I think it should be fine.

[Tesha]

16. There was a case up here in Nashua...

There was a case up here in Nashua where the police were
videotaped by a father as the police verbally abused his
son (the person they were attempting to arrest). The
father filed a complaint and the police immediately
turned around and arrested the father for violating
the wiretap statute because he audiotaped them without
their permission and without putting them on notice
that he was doing it.

Only he had put them on notice via a sign posted outside
his residence (which they, of course, ignored) explaining
that anything going on on the premises may be video/audio
taped.

The police eventually saw the error of their ways, the
wiretap charges were dropped when no prosecutor was
willing to persue them, and the errant officers were
disciplined for their behaviour with the son.

So the way this should be handled is that the ACLU should
simply put the St. Louis PD on notice that *ANYTHING* they
do out in public may be audiotaped and/or videotaped without
further notice.

(The ACLU may well be trying to draw a lawsuit to
establish the principle that the police can't break
heads with impunity just by hiding behind an inapplicable
wiretap statute.)

Tesha

[Kingshakabobo]

14. I know what Solo is referring to....

There was a story posted last week or so about a young man being charged with felony wiretapping because he, while being pulled over, turned on a video camera he had in the car. The cop threw a hissy fit and arrested the kid. Frankly, I think it's bullying by the cops and the ACLU should be able to handle it. Cops have no expectation of privacy while stopping someone on a public street but they stack up felony charges against people to intimidate them.

[The2ndWheel]

12. Basically the answer to every problem

Just ask Britain.

If everyone secretly watches everyone, it'll all be fair. It won't stay that way, since to even administer such a program would require a top-down chain of command, but we'll all be used to 24/7 surveillance by then, so it won't matter.