Also, just a curiosity on my part?
Dave: What is the history behind the badge you have displayed on this article?

I’d have to say I agree with you. To a degree.

That’s why we need an “Accredited Citizens Oversight Board”, and not laypersons.

For more information regarding this and Police Accreditation in general, please visit:

http://www.calea.org/Online/Accreditationworks/aw.htm

I cant disagree more.

Individuals are smart. People are stupid. I am sure that the citizens at the salem witch trials KNEW they were right. I am sure that slave owners KNEW they were right. I am sure that the spanish inquisistion KNEW they were right. I am sure that every jurer who has ever set a guilty man free or convicted an innocent man KNEW they were right too. I can point to several , (dozens, hundreds even) things we KNEW in medicine, that we know KNOW aint true. There are things about public safety (such as more paramedics save lives?)….things that the public “Knows”, that simply aint true. Yet you cant change perception, regardless if it is confronted with facts or not.

What you are really saying is that Belief and passion are a substute for knowledge.

Well history is full of examples , recent and distant, large and small, where belief is the most dangerous thing in the world when not tempured by reason.

Anyone, an officer, a teacher, a doctor, even the public (say a black man in the south , or a Jew in palistine), all should fear “belief”. It is irrational. It is violent. It is petty. It is biased. It is NOT the same as knowledge, training, and education.

So while the idea of a public commision is a worthy idea, it is useless with out representation of the very people is is meant to look over. Even IRBS (institutional review boards) mandate certain composition that includes experts in cetain fields to ensure a diverse, detailed, and unbiased review.

There still exist today places where innocent people are being beaten, tortured and murdered at this very moment by agents of their governments for speaking out against corruption and injustice.

Democracy is imperfect and messy. And I love it!

The Law Enforcement Officers who have taken the time to stick their necks out and express their opinions in defense of the noble profession they have chosen appear to be among the vast majority of Good Cops.

Please… Don’t let your zeal, or the siege mentality of “The Blue Wall” blind you to the few Bad Ones who wear the badge.

YOUR community deserves better.

YOU deserve better.

I agree that the court system has its place, and I of course have lost cases before, or had them plead down. The court system (in theory) is the balance for law enforcement.

Some of the media, and a few commentators are of the opinion that if it isn’t recorded, but I claim it happend – then I am a liar. That is what I meant by my comment.

The average person’s perception of a ‘cop’ is from what they watch on TV, or see in the media. Shows like: The Shield, CSI, NYPD Blue, etc are entertainment shows, and don’t represent the real world. This is what makes it difficult for a non-law enforcement person to oversee the police department. It is like me telling a stockbroker how to do their job.

I would have no problem with a civilian oversight board, but give them training first. Have them go through the academy…it gives them a basis for understanding why we react the way we do.

If your word was “good enough” there would be no need for the courts or trials. On the flip side, I will bet you a day off the ombudsman feels the same way–he has never come back with a negative report that wasn’t deserved.

A fair and balanced oversight of not just the cops, but of the ombudsman AND the city council is always in order the the citizens are the ones to do it.

Another commenter said he wouldn’t mind oversight if the people were “qualified.” Any citizen who cares about the community and knows the difference between right and wrong is qualified. You know them most often as Jurors and they overwhelmingly find the people you arrest to be guilty. If they were “qualified” by being former cops, trained in police tactics and proceedures or “pro law enforcement” they would never make the jury and would also not be the peopel I would LOGICALLY want on a commission.

I am a local Police Officer, and will tell you that several departments, as well as the one I work for have a policy that basically says ‘every contact with a citizen is to be recorded.’

I record all my contacts, and have to push a button to turn my recorder off/on, or to pause it.

That being said, the recorder is an electronic device, and very small. It doesn’t always work correctly, and I am not making excuses. My recorder has stopped recording, or paused/stopped in several ‘use of force’ incidents. Not because I stopped it, or even touched it, but rather from the shock against it, and from being jarred around. I attribute this to something like a CD player skipping, but I don’t know for sure.

Several people have questioned why the recorder was off in this case, or in the Matthew Jones case. I wasn’t the Officer on either of those, so I couldn’t answer that question for sure. I will tell you that the recorder has to be turned on manually. When you are a Police Officer responding to a ‘hot’ call, or getting into a foot pursuit, fight, etc…the last thing on our mind is usually to reach down and find the little button that will record the contact. For one, you have to take your focus away from the threat at hand, or your driving, putting us at further risk.

It is a tragedy when officers are forced to use deadly force, but the last thing in our mind should be what the media is going to report about the incident, and whether or not we covered oursevles by turning on the recorder. Obviously our word will not be good enough.

Easy does it tiger…

I’d hardly call a Local News Organization’s coverage of the A-V issue, with on camera opinions of other local law enforcement, “Vague References”.

I’ve advocated A-V equipment, yes. Though I, nor anyone with half-a-brain expects it to fall from the sky free of charge.

I’ve advocated a Citizens Review Board, Yes. Constructed in accordance with accepted and Accredited Guidelines. Not an “Empire Builder”.

And I KNOW many officers advocate these things, and personally spoke with some of them in front of City Hall during the Police Union Picket last year. A VERY Professional Officer Casey Hancuff was one, and he single-handedly made me abandon my previous opinion that the BPD be disbanded outright.

I’ve also met a few “Blackwater Wannabes” over the years.

Please allow me to state AGAIN for the record…

I believe that the Boise Police Department is home to a great many dedicated professionals. But as an organization it’s about as screwed-up as they come. And the dedicated professionals such as Officer Bourgeau deserve our respect and support with better training, better equipment and better leadership. In short – A Better BPD.

And Bonnie, et al,

If you can provide a guarantee that their use will be MANDATED, I WILL buy a Video Camera and Audio Recorder for 1 Patrol Car and 1 Police Officer!

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Ain’t Democracy Fun?

In other words, you could run.