Las Vegas police officer Derek Colling was accused of beating Mitchell Crooks for videotaping him while he was investigating a burglary. An investigation by the police department found Colling to be guilty. I think this is a very significant finding. It shows that the police cannot act with impunity when dealing with civilians and that emerging technology can expose actions that may have gone undetected in the past.
Start with police responsibility. Before videotaping was so widespread, police could rough around a suspect and get away with it. There would be no evidence to support a victim of a crime, and this happened often during the civil rights movements of the 60s. Police should not be able to abuse their power and there should be safeguards to ensure they don't. With videotaping, there is no escape. An abusive police officer being caught on camera assaulting another human being and not escaping the consequences is positive for us all.
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