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25' is fine if ALL officers involved have body cameras. Getting that footage should be as simple FOIL request. There needs to be a streamlined process for citiz

25' is fine if ALL officers involved have body cameras. Getting that footage should be as simple FOIL request. There needs to be a streamlined process for citizens to obtain footage as easy as it is to browse on Nextdoor. The problem is when you have a police line established that is 25' from the action and then have to move back another 25'.

iudqnolq 3y ago
I thought this until I tried to actually watch and understand body cam footage. it's quite a lot harder to parse and misses quite a bit that cell phone cameras capture. there's also an interesting argument that by always showing the officers' perspective it will make people more likely to empathize with them. I'm not sure exactly why bodycam footage is so much worse. I think part of it might have to do with the odd height it's placed at.
- sidewndr46 3y ago
  I've watched lots of body cam footage as well. One interesting aspect is that apparently multiple departments allow officers to turn the camera off at will.
  - ceejayoz 3y ago
    In theory, it's intended for things like officers going to the bathroom, or when interviewing witnesses who don't want to be on camera due to concerns about retalliation or discussing sensitive stuff like a rape. In practice, it's often used less... wholesomely, as you'd expect.
- lesuorac 3y ago
  > I'm not sure exactly why bodycam footage is so much worse. I think part of it might have to do with the odd height it's placed at. Its the lack of any stabilization. If you twist your body a tiny bit then the focus of the camera moves drastically; this differs from when you're holding a camera far from our body using your arms. When you move your body your arms will counter-act that and the video won't jump as much.
thefurdrake 3y ago
Police camera footage should definitely, 100%, be public record the moment it's taken, I agree. Part of the problem isn't actually refusal to cooperate on the part of police orgs, though. I happen to know second-hand that the companies operating the cameras provide abysmal and overcomplex, failure-prone software and hardware, and storing all that camera footage in a way that is quickly accessible to the public would approach Youtube levels of footprint/operational costs... It's complex, and police orgs, in addition to being resistant to change, are also not exactly known for their technical acumen.
- ceejayoz 3y ago
  It's a bit odd that exculpatory bodycam footage tends to be a lot faster to be able to get through that abysmal and overcomplex, failure-prone process.
  - thefurdrake 3y ago
    Maybe. All I know is the software sucks.

iudqnolq 3y ago

I thought this until I tried to actually watch and understand body cam footage. it's quite a lot harder to parse and misses quite a bit that cell phone cameras capture. there's also an interesting argument that by always showing the officers' perspective it will make people more likely to empathize with them. I'm not sure exactly why bodycam footage is so much worse. I think part of it might have to do with the odd height it's placed at.

sidewndr46 3y ago
I've watched lots of body cam footage as well. One interesting aspect is that apparently multiple departments allow officers to turn the camera off at will.
- ceejayoz 3y ago
  In theory, it's intended for things like officers going to the bathroom, or when interviewing witnesses who don't want to be on camera due to concerns about retalliation or discussing sensitive stuff like a rape. In practice, it's often used less... wholesomely, as you'd expect.
lesuorac 3y ago
> I'm not sure exactly why bodycam footage is so much worse. I think part of it might have to do with the odd height it's placed at. Its the lack of any stabilization. If you twist your body a tiny bit then the focus of the camera moves drastically; this differs from when you're holding a camera far from our body using your arms. When you move your body your arms will counter-act that and the video won't jump as much.

thefurdrake 3y ago

Police camera footage should definitely, 100%, be public record the moment it's taken, I agree. Part of the problem isn't actually refusal to cooperate on the part of police orgs, though. I happen to know second-hand that the companies operating the cameras provide abysmal and overcomplex, failure-prone software and hardware, and storing all that camera footage in a way that is quickly accessible to the public would approach Youtube levels of footprint/operational costs... It's complex, and police orgs, in addition to being resistant to change, are also not exactly known for their technical acumen.

ceejayoz 3y ago
It's a bit odd that exculpatory bodycam footage tends to be a lot faster to be able to get through that abysmal and overcomplex, failure-prone process.
- thefurdrake 3y ago
  Maybe. All I know is the software sucks.