Dash Video Released of Walter Scott Shooting - Reason.com Points out it's full of WTF
[Link]
Some quotes and some emphasis
The video shows Scott trying to exit the car and being ordered back in and then a couple of minutes later getting out of the car and running away. At the time, Slager had possession of Scott's driver's license. Scott also left his Mercedes behind and a passenger in the car. Nevertheless, Slager chose to pursue Scott, eventually shooting him eight times in the back, as caught by bystander video.[ ... ] Slager has not explained why he chose to pursue Scott rather than, say, meet him at the address on his license or wait for him to try to retrieve his Mercedes from police custody.
Love that snark.
Before the video of the shooting was released, Slager claimed he felt threatened for his life [...] He continues to maintain that in light of the video, although his first defense attorney dropped him after that video came out.
Never a good sign when your attorney dumps you...
Slager was fired after the video of his fatal shooting of Scott was made available to authorities—shooting a fleeing suspect in the back is against official departmental policy
Not entirely true -- if they're a threat to others, it's okay to shoot a fleeing suspect (which, even with the taser he didn't steal, he wouldn't be). For instance, if the suspect is fleeing in a car and is driving recklessly (though I would love to see a low-speed car chase with the suspect obeying all speed and traffic laws, as well as signaling).
[The city PD] ordered 150 more body cameras for the police department—the city bought 115 for its 340 police officers using $275,000 in federal money last year
THEY SPENT $2,100 ON EACH BODY CAM?!?!? Are they filming an adaptation of Avatar with these fucking things?!? I found this one which does 8 hours on a single charge, has GPS and freaking night vision at a cost of $300...
Conservatives like former Rep. Allen West, who claim the murder charge against Michael Slager shows "the justice system clearly worked," are being obtuse at best and dishonest at worst. Without video there wouldn't have been charges. After all, not a single officer involved in the aftermath challenge Slager's incredulous story.
(Emphasis mine) It makes me wonder: Most other cops have to know when something stinks or maybe even have borne witness to such things. Does that make most cops violators of the law or at least immoral individuals. Michael Malice has a lot to say about this and cops in general on the T.Woods show, worth checking out.
Posted Apr 10, 2015, 1:46 AM UTC · edited
The body cam money is insanely wasteful.
However, you can't assume that he wouldn't have been charged had the video not surfaced. The guy was, after all shot in the back while running away, the officer, to my knowledge, wasn't injured, and there was a witness as well. Given the dashboard cam video, it also seems that the guy's offenses were just minor, and the officer had no real reason to chase him. It may not have been as clear what happened, but the details would've eventually come back to haunt him, at the very least.
The money quoted on body cams is always deceiving.
They are paying for the hardware, the software, and a contract usually lasting 2+ years to manage the recordings. This usually includes paid staffing or department training as well.
If you want to record police activity you can't just buy a bunch of gopros and let each officer manage it themselves. They have to make the whole process as seamless and bulletproof as possible, so that when the time comes there is no excuse for the recording not being available.