How about having Cops wear sound recorders?

Question

They are pretty small now. You could tell if the cop was verbally abusive, or do a sound analysis and find out whether the cop or the defendant fired the first shot. (Different types of guns have different sound signatures.) It would eliminate all the conflict over what was said, and what happened. You could download all the sound for a shift into a master computer when the cop came into the station.

If nothing else, it would make cops unable to be sarcastic and condescending when they spoke to people. It would make a jury rule against them, if the incident became a fight. I think it would be worth it just because it would force cops to be polite.
Wouldn't that be a small victory right there? And cops always do the right thing anyway correct? What would a good cop have to hide? A good cop would WELCOME the backup of having a recorder confirm his good actions.

We have the technology. And Trooper 3 can't whine that it wouldn't be admissable in court.

Dapper Napper

No kidding? Didn't know that.

hamrrfan

You could filter out the background noise with a computer if the recording became inportant. Also, you could have the recorder placed around the officer's throat, like WWII fighter pilots.

Trooper 3

Laws change. I have heard they outlawed slavery and they let women vote.

"Attached to my Squad Video"

What does that mean? Your car? So you have to drag someone behind your car to beat them?

I notice anything that involves simply truth scares the beejaysus out of cops. Why would that be?

sssh

You get all your exercise jumping to conclusions. I am law abiding. I have several family members who are in law enforcement and they scare me. I had an uncle in the LAPD who flat out admitted to me before his death that his department had murdered Black Panthers in the 1960's.

sssh

Again--how is having the Truth being recorded "Getting even with Cops?" On your planet is the truth the enemy of the police?

quick 66

Do you cuss like that on tape?

Copgirl

Do you call citizens dumb on tape?

Barry C.

You are talking about things you don't understand. If you think on a department of 10,000 men there are people who haven't committed murder over the history of the department you have the mind of a child.

Answer 1

they do this in england and have for about a year now

saw it on the news, was london I think and didn't see a follow up to it, but yeah. fox news aint as evil as some claim it is, they actually do have news from time to time - lol

And get this ... I'm a church going republican, and I even get stopped and my car tossed for 90 minutes while some rookie looks for a pot seed in my car, all cuz I'm going 4 miles over the limit (downhill), on the interstate, with out of state tags, on a 21 hour drive that I can reduce to 19 hours if they would let me drive just a bit faster.

I agree, but theres good cops and bad cops.

Answer 2

Police Officer don't only have a mic to clip on to their shirt. And in regards to the "shooting first" comment you made, there are some departments now testing out small cameras to put on their sidearm where a tactical flashlight would be.

I would definitely like to know the situation you went through that brought on the question, though.

Answer 3

I've been using one since it was available in 97' here and it's activated along with the camera. I love it because the old "he said / she said" c&ap is gone, at least when we hit the court room and the scrote in question lies to the judge and we prove him to be the lying piece of $&^% that he is. And just in case it fails I have another in my unit that is started before I initiate the stop untill I clear. All because people like you exist. Hey do the earth a favor and don't reproduce, OK ? Have a good day :)

Answer 4

Actually, I do have an argument. It is illegal in 12 states.

However, it is legal in Wisconsin, and I do wear a microphone attached to my squad video. Never had a complaint yet.

Two party consent states
Twelve states currently require that BOTH or ALL parties consent to the recording. These states are:

California
Connecticut
Florida
Illinois
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Montana
Nevada
New Hampshire
Pennsylvania
Washington

Answer 5

I think it would be a wonderful idea....but wouldn't last too long...just long enough for some gang banger to sue the officer and the department because his rights were violated when he was recorded spitting on the officer and calling the officer anything but human.

Unfair tactical use on poor criminal subjects.

Answer 6

> I had an uncle in the LAPD who flat out admitted to me before his death that his department had murdered Black Panthers in the 1960's.

yeah and Paul Bunyan had a blue ox named Babe.

YOur unle was probably t4easing you , and if it continued, it was because you were so gullible.

If you think i tis true, then, since there is no statute of limitations on murder, it is your moral obligation to call 911 today and report it.

If you are harboring a murderer, that makes you an accomplice after the fact, so consider again if you think he is telling the truth or just bloviating because if i tis the former and you don't report him, you will go down just as hard as he did, even if you weren't born yet! :)

Answer 7

That doesn't sound like a bad punishment I'd wear one for the fun of it

Answer 8

It would also record how verbally abusive the people that they deal with can be.

Of course you would also have problems with all the ambient noise: traffic, a crowd, barking dogs, something rubbing against the microphone. Everything recorded is not always clear.

Answer 9

Brilliant idea. Officers need to be held responsible for their actions both heroic and/or abusive. Far as privacy laws there would need to be a law passed that states police officers are allowed to record suspected criminals while critizens are not (unless in self-defense situations like home robbery, for example)....that's the only barrier I can think of it surely would not be expensive to do.

Answer 10

Alot of cops use them all the time, that way if someone comes in and says you verbally abused them, you can defend yourself.