Oakland CA video: We ask a OPD officer why he had his name badge covered

[TalkingDog]

Not on YouTube, so check it out on Vimeo:

http://vimeo.com/31568216

This how to properly engage with police when they do suspicious things. We were riding by on bikes and noticed hes hiding his name and has no badge number. SO we decided to ask him. He did not answer, we asked a ranking officer is that policy? The LT. quickly went about fixing his attitude. This is a common practice among cops at occupy's around the US .That way he/she cannot be named or referenced if he participates in police miss-conduct . Its in most police departments policies that all officers in uniform must show some form of identification. OPD does not wear badges with #'s, how do we hold anyone accountable?

THANKS OPD LT C.WONG for stepping up and holding the officer accountable on camera!

[Poll_Blind]

1. There's only one reason an officer tapes over his badge: He's planning on breaking the law. nt

PB

[TalkingDog]

2. I don't see how the Lt. , if he was intent on stopping the behaviour, didn't call him on it before.

So yeah... I agree.

[Poll_Blind]

5. Because there are all different types of police officers and while some of them...

...are clearly in the wrong field (i.e. protecting the public), there is so little oversight in most police departments that good cops have almost as much trouble reining-in bad cops as citizens do. It should be different. Police forces are like little private armies: Some are run very well, with a lot of oversight and run a tight ship. Others, not so much.

You can tell a lot about the level of trustworthiness of police forces by how they're acting during these OWS protests. In Eugene, they have the blessing of the mayor and the police. Same, mostly, in Portland. In places like Oakland, Boston, etc, though, there's an entirely different mentality not just among those who control police forces but the police themselves.

It really shows.

This level of corruption in this country is not some homogenous thing, it's a leopard print which appears at first unpredictable but which has a lot to do with how cities have been run for 10, 20, 30+ years.

PB

[Liberal_in_LA]

3. k&r

[ellisonz]

4. Look at that sneer...

[Cali_Democrat]

6. Excellent!

[truedelphi]

7. Also, a lot of the police at Occupy Oakland are from other jurisdicitions

Like Hayward and Concord and Pleasanton.

Oakland doesn't have the ability to police this action on its own.