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Just for some recent history. Seattle has/had a contract with a company that uses statistical techniques to analyze body cam footage in bulk looking for things

Just for some recent history. Seattle has/had a contract with a company that uses statistical techniques to analyze body cam footage in bulk looking for things that a human should review. Over the summer video footage was brought to light by them showing the vice president of the police union on the phone in his cruiser with his boss, the president, making light of a 26 year old citizen that another cop had run down while traveling at reckless speeds without his lights and sirens on. Now suddenly the police aren't renewing that contract. https://www.cnn.com/2023/09/14/us/seattle-police-officer-phone-comments-woman-killed/index.html#:~:text=The%20officer%2C%20Daniel%20Auderer%2C%20was,call%2C%20according%20to%20police%20documents https://www.cnn.com/2023/09/14/us/seattle-police-officer-pho.... https://www.capitolhillseattle.com/2023/10/reports-seattle-police-canceled-body-cam-analysis-contract-after-union-leaders-accidentally-recorded-limited-value-crash-conversation/ https://www.capitolhillseattle.com/2023/10/reports-seattle-p... Shoot all the footage you like, in the best case there is too much to review, in the worst case the unions will bury it.

wpietri 3y ago
This is why I'm for robust, independent police oversight boards. There are reasonable answers to "Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?" if we want them.
- sleepybrett 3y ago
  ... take a little google about seattle police oversight board. It's 100% toothless.
  - Brian_K_White 3y ago
    So what? Problem: "We're getting wet!" Proposal: "What we need is a roof!" Pointless: "Take a little google about this roof that leaks..."
    - sleepybrett 3y ago
      "Take a little google about this roof that leaks just like most other roofs leak."
      - Brian_K_White 3y ago
        And yet, you still need a roof as part of your means to stay dry. Even if most roofs leak today. What point did you think you were making? Did you have some proposal for the problem that somehow does not include oversight and accountabiliy?
  - btilly 3y ago
    How is pointing out that police oversight boards are not always robust or independent an argument against the position that robust, independent police oversight boards are a good thing? The example that you give is important because it shows what we have to fight against to get robust and independent police oversight boards. But the fact that it is possible to fail doesn't mean that we shouldn't try.

wpietri 3y ago

This is why I'm for robust, independent police oversight boards. There are reasonable answers to "Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?" if we want them.

sleepybrett 3y ago
... take a little google about seattle police oversight board. It's 100% toothless.
- Brian_K_White 3y ago
  So what? Problem: "We're getting wet!" Proposal: "What we need is a roof!" Pointless: "Take a little google about this roof that leaks..."
  - sleepybrett 3y ago
    "Take a little google about this roof that leaks just like most other roofs leak."
    - Brian_K_White 3y ago
      And yet, you still need a roof as part of your means to stay dry. Even if most roofs leak today. What point did you think you were making? Did you have some proposal for the problem that somehow does not include oversight and accountabiliy?
- btilly 3y ago
  How is pointing out that police oversight boards are not always robust or independent an argument against the position that robust, independent police oversight boards are a good thing? The example that you give is important because it shows what we have to fight against to get robust and independent police oversight boards. But the fact that it is possible to fail doesn't mean that we shouldn't try.