Legal Commentary

The Power of Video

By TChris

It used to be that ordinary people were extremely reluctant to believe that police officers ever abuse their power. The prevalence of video cameras is changing that.

Within the past week, two videos have surfaced showing what appears to be police misconduct in New York. In one video, viewed more than 1 million times on YouTube, a police officer is seen charging a bicyclist and knocking him to the ground during a July 25 group bicycle ride through Times Square -- despite the officer's sworn complaint that the cyclist tried to run him down.

So let's hear it for "Jimmy Justice," a "cop-arazzi" who "prowls the streets of New York looking for law enforcement officers who are breaking the law." While the abuses he documents are minor -- police cars parked illegally while drivers engage in personal errands -- he's performing a public service by exposing the "laws don't apply to us" mentality that drives too many officers.

Update: For those who don't read the comments, you should check this out.

Full post as published by TalkLeft on August 03, 2008 (boomark / email).