One of the problems I have as an attorney is proving a police officer is lying.
Technology is great for two reasons. People trust it. Thanks to shows like CSI there is a perception that technology is both uncontrovertable and omnipresent. Second, people assume that it is neutral. Video tape, fingerprints, DNA, they don’t take side, they just present facts.
Therefore, it’s unsurprising to me that the Chicago Police force objects to putting cameras in their cars, as well as installing GPS trackers.
Well, they lost the GPS battle. Now Chicago police cars are ‘pinged’ every 15 seconds to determine their location. In addition, the ping can tell if the car is parked, idling, or moving and how fast, whether it has its lights and sirens on, whether someone is in the passenger seat, the doors are opened, etc. And what are the police complaining about? That they won’t be able to take naps on the job.
The resistance to cameras is simple. The police will be recorded not doing their jobs properly. It’s why when I have suburban police forces with cameras in their cars…they’re frequently “not working.”
This is not a coincidence.
Now, as a practitioner, and to other practitioners, I say, if there’s a question as to whether you think certain cars were either at the scene, or arrived or left early, or you have any questions about this at all (and these GPS trackers are on undercovers as well as squads, I believe), then go to the OEMC on Madison St. and subpoena these records! I haven’t had the need to so, but they’re going to be very convincing, I predict.
