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- If Minneapolis police officers

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had been wearing body cameras,

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could it have prevented the
excessive force that led

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to the murder of 46-year-old George Floyd?

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Dr. Jennifer Matthews
says body worn cameras are

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reshaping police citizen interactions

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and she believes that it could have made a

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life-saving difference.

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Dr. Matthews has implemented, managed

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and trained more than 3000
Chicago area law enforcement

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officers in body-worn camera programs.

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Matthews shares insights
from her PhD dissertation

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for Walden University
on body worn camera use

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and citizen behavior during
police citizen encounters.

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Do you think George Floyd
would've been murdered if any

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of those officers had
been wearing body cams?

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- I think it definitely
could have been prevented.

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I definitely don't like to
say it's a, uh, end all,

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be all like a sure thing.

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I never like to say that because
we can't predict the future

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and we can't go back and change history.

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But I definitely think that there,

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it could have been prevented.

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It would've been less likely

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if they were wearing body cameras.

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It was good that the person
that did record did record

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because the story was able to be told

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in a different light

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because had they not recorded
then it would just been told

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from the officer's perspective

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and maybe the truth
would've never came to light

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and George Floyd would have died.

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In vain

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- Body-worn cameras have
become a pivotal tool in

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modern law enforcement.

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The technology provides a
means to enhance transparency,

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accountability, and trust
between police officers

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and the communities they serve.

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Dr. Matthew's dissertation
focused on citizens' experiences

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during police encounters
involving body-worn cameras.

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She found that the presence

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of a body-worn camera put
citizens more at ease.

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So they felt the need to
comply with police officers

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during encounters.

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- Theories that my
dissertation were based off

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of was self-awareness deterrent,

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and then procedural justice.

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So self-awareness comes in when the,

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the citizen knows

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that they are being
watched on body camera.

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And of course the officer knows

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that they are being watched on body camera

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'cause why they're
wearing the body camera.

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So that's the self-awareness theory.

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Then the deterrence theory.

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So the deterrence theory is
nobody wants to be caught.

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So you're going to do
what you know is right

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because you don't want
to be caught if you know

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that there are consequences.

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If you are caught doing the wrong

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thing, what is the wrong thing?

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The wrong thing is breaking the law.

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So if you're caught doing
something wrong on body camera,

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the likelihood of you
being caught in put in jail

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or facing consequences
for that is more likely

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because of the deterrence theory.

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And then procedural justice is

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how the officer is treating
the citizen that they're coming

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to encounter with on body-worn camera. But

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- In your research you do show that it,

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it alters people's reactions.

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They don't want to get in trouble yet.

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Most of the officers are
not telling people You're on

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candid camera here.

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Why do you think that is?
Because it seems like would just

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deescalate at the very beginning.

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- Okay. And this is
something that I preach

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and I feel like I'm preaching
to myself instead of

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to the choir <laugh>.

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So I think that they do not

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tell the citizens that
they come in contact with,

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that they are being recorded

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because it's not required in
their policies and procedures.

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A lot of times police officers
are not going to go out

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of their way to do above
and beyond their job, above

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and beyond their job description.

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A lot of times some will,
but a lot of them will not.

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So their policies and procedures
say to activate the camera,

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but a lot of them do not say,

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you must tell the citizen
that you're recording.

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Why they don't say that. It's up

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to each different police department to put

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that in their policies and procedures.

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And they simply do not.

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But I always tell the
officers that I train to one,

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narrate your video and
to two, tell the citizen

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or whomever you're coming in contact with

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that you are recording.

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'cause why then the body
camera can have its intended

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effect, which is deterrence.

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- Do the policies dictate
when they turn it on,

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does it turn on automatically?
How does that work?

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- So the policies do dictate
when they turn it on.

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So there's a few ways that it, it works.

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So one, the officer can
activate the camera.

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Two, some departments have
it where if the lights

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and sirens turn on, it will
activate the body camera.

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Some departments have it

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where if the officer pulls
their service weapon out

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of the holster, it will
activate their body camera.

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Some, um, departments have it

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where if the officer
pulls their taser to use

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that it will activate their body camera.

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So it just depends on what
that department's policies are,

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which will activate their body camera.

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But let's say the officer
is recording already

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and then they pull their service weapon,

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they pull their taser,
they activate their lights

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and sirens, it will not
turn off their body camera.

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It will just still be like a continuation.

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It won't have any effect
on that body camera

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because they're already recording.

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- So if the officer
will reveal the camera,

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do you think that'll
set a more positive tone

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immediately in the interaction?

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- 100%. I, I think if they reveal

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that they are recording, it will

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help initially, immediately.

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Because now that citizen
knows what to expect.

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They knows what, they know what's going on

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and they know that no matter what,

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whether this officer is
treating them by the color

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of the law, whether this officer
is treating them harshly,

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that there is an impartial
witness on the scene right now,

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and that they can go back
and refer to that footage.

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They can request that footage via foia.

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Or if they need to get a lawyer,

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that lawyer can subpoena that footage.

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So if they're announcing,
Hey, I'm recording,

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that citizen knows immediately,
hey, this can go one way

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or the other, but I have
some recourse at the end

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of the day when with my
interaction with this officer,

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- You do see on YouTube these
body worn camera videos of

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refusing to follow the officer's

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instructions and everything else.

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What's, what is going on there?

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What's behind those emotions?

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- Again, lack of respect.

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That is lack of respect right there.

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They do not respect authority
anymore. That's what that is.

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And I teach classes to young people,

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whether it be high schoolers,

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whether it be young adults in college,

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and I teach them how to interact

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with police when they come
into contact with them.

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Because I tell them all the
time, you come into contact

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with the police officers

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or police, law enforcement,
whoever they may be,

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and you escalate the situation to a level

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where they're not even
trying to raise it to

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when all you have to do is listen to them.

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And I'll give you a prime example,

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and this is an example I
give to all of my classes

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and it makes them think every time.

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So let's say you're driving in a car

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and the officer pulls you over

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and they say, Hey, can I have
your license and registration?

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And the person that they
stopped, the driver is irate.

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Why did you pull me over?

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They're yelling, why did you pull me over?

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I didn't do anything wrong.

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And you're the person is just irate

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and they're yelling at the officer

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and they're doing all
of this and all that.

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Well, now the officer's like,
why is this person so irate?

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Maybe they're doing something
that is causing for alarm.

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Maybe they're hiding something.

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Maybe I need to look at this
car a little bit longer.

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Maybe I need to inspect this car.

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Maybe I need to inspect this
person when, guess what?

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The officer only wanted to let you know

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that your taillight was out.

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That's it. And they're like,
oh my gosh, they do that.

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I'm like, yes, they do that.

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That's all they wanted to tell you.

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- Well, with your
experience training officers

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and out of the community, do
you, do you have any sense

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of what has happened?

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Because everybody, I run into teachers

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and all believe that there's,
that we've got a crisis

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in lack of respect.

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- Yes. Yes. That's that's
exactly what it is.

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It's a, it's a very much so
a crisis and lack of respect.

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And I feel like it's my
duty to go out to the public

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and train the citizens,

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and I'm training them on
what the body cameras can do.

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Because when I go to the classroom

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and I tell them, it can
do this, it can do that,

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it cannot do this, it cannot do that.

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They're astonished.

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They're like, well, I
heard it can do this.

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And I heard that and I'm like,
no. Mm-Hmm, we can't do that.

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Well, I heard the police
officer can do this.

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Well, no, they can't do that.

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And they're like, they have
this picture in their mind

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and they're doing all these things

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because they're, these mist exist.

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So when I'm training them
on what the truth is, now,

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that respect level is slowly
but surely coming back

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because they had their
own idea in their heads.

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So it's, it, it is no respect. Yes.

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But to train the citizens,
to train the public on

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what is true will only is
the only way I feel like the

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police and citizens can get aligned again.

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- So what are some of the major
myths that you have to pop?

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- Okay, that's a really,
really, really great question.

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One major myth that I
get all the time is that

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a officer can record an incident

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and then go back to the
station and change it.

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That's the first one I
get majority of the time.

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And I'm like, it does not work like that.

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They cannot change that video
from what just happened.

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It does not work like that.

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It trach takes a trained
professional to let's say,

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manipulate that video footage.

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And then at, at that point,
there's only so many things

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that can be changed in that video.

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What can be changed? Blurring of faces.

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Blurring of faces mean a
juvenile means a person

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who was not the intended
target of the video.

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So let's say you are stopped by the police

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and Joe Blow walks past, we're
gonna blur Joe Blow's face

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because he's not a part of this incident.

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So that's what I mean by
blurring of the faces.

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Where can, we can mute audio?
Why would you mute audio?

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Let's say you're giving out your birthdate

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or you're giving out your
driver's license number.

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Well, you don't want
that out in the public,

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so you'll blur that audio.

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So just certain things can
be manipulated on the video.

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However, even if those things

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are manipulated in the
video footage, the original

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is still always intact.

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People don't realize that.
They do not realize that.

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They think, oh my gosh,

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this person has manipulated the video.

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They changed it. It's, it's gone forever.

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It does not work like that.

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The original remains intact

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and you manipulate the,
the copy, if you will,

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00:11:36,735 --> 00:11:38,275
but the original is always there.

252
00:11:38,375 --> 00:11:39,375
It never changes.

253
00:11:42,995 --> 00:11:45,095
- No, I know from your background,

254
00:11:45,095 --> 00:11:48,215
you've trained at least 3000 officers all

255
00:11:48,675 --> 00:11:49,675
- Yes.

256
00:11:49,675 --> 00:11:51,815
- <laugh> when you first come in contact

257
00:11:51,885 --> 00:11:53,245
with 'em to start the training.

258
00:11:53,785 --> 00:11:56,125
Yes. What's the what, what
do you tell them first

259
00:11:56,185 --> 00:11:59,165
to get them to buy in and
understand how important it's,

260
00:11:59,905 --> 00:12:03,965
- So my buy-in is always

261
00:12:04,595 --> 00:12:07,045
that this will help you
rather than hurt you.

262
00:12:08,285 --> 00:12:13,185
And I can say from
experience that the officers,

263
00:12:13,365 --> 00:12:18,265
by the time, I'll say, by
the time they've used it

264
00:12:18,485 --> 00:12:19,585
for the camera

265
00:12:20,005 --> 00:12:22,145
for I would say six
months, they agree with me.

266
00:12:22,655 --> 00:12:26,105
Because when it comes to
officer citizen's complaints,

267
00:12:26,295 --> 00:12:31,105
when it comes to officer
incidents at all, anything

268
00:12:31,135 --> 00:12:32,825
that that can come back and bite them

269
00:12:33,205 --> 00:12:35,265
and they see that that camera was there

270
00:12:35,645 --> 00:12:37,385
and they can go back to refer to it

271
00:12:37,405 --> 00:12:38,545
and say, no,

272
00:12:38,645 --> 00:12:40,625
it didn't happen this
way, it happened that way.

273
00:12:40,645 --> 00:12:43,425
And then they have that camera
footage to back them up.

274
00:12:44,015 --> 00:12:46,425
They are in in agreement with
me that this will help them

275
00:12:46,935 --> 00:12:48,105
more than a harm them.

276
00:12:48,965 --> 00:12:50,545
So that's always my buy-in

277
00:12:51,125 --> 00:12:54,345
- Police officers have taken
on a stern business-like

278
00:12:54,585 --> 00:12:56,185
approach when dealing with the public.

279
00:12:56,845 --> 00:12:59,585
In the bygone days of
Texas, the conversation

280
00:12:59,585 --> 00:13:02,745
during a traffic stop
usually started with Heidi,

281
00:13:02,925 --> 00:13:03,945
how y'all doing today?

282
00:13:05,055 --> 00:13:07,995
Now it is more likely
a strict tone request

283
00:13:08,095 --> 00:13:09,955
for license and registration.

284
00:13:10,935 --> 00:13:15,355
- So I would say there
is less friendliness

285
00:13:16,185 --> 00:13:20,795
only because the tension between

286
00:13:21,355 --> 00:13:23,915
officers and citizens have changed.

287
00:13:24,865 --> 00:13:29,115
It's no longer, like the
respect factor is so low,

288
00:13:29,815 --> 00:13:32,715
the, the citizens are no
longer respecting the police

289
00:13:33,215 --> 00:13:34,275
the way they once did.

290
00:13:34,935 --> 00:13:38,035
So I would definitely say
that there is a change there.

291
00:13:38,495 --> 00:13:42,235
So I feel like maybe
they can seem robotical

292
00:13:42,665 --> 00:13:47,355
because they want to
do their job, they want

293
00:13:47,355 --> 00:13:50,075
to do it the right way, they
want to follow the rules,

294
00:13:50,815 --> 00:13:54,435
and they don't want to maybe perhaps

295
00:13:55,335 --> 00:13:59,995
be seen as going outside the color

296
00:13:59,995 --> 00:14:03,755
of the law or giving way to

297
00:14:04,335 --> 00:14:06,955
interpretation for impropriety.

298
00:14:07,895 --> 00:14:09,755
So they might want to say, you know,

299
00:14:09,995 --> 00:14:11,395
I did everything by the book.

300
00:14:11,895 --> 00:14:16,075
If this person, you know,
felt like I was overstepping

301
00:14:16,295 --> 00:14:18,275
or was too friendly, they might draw

302
00:14:18,275 --> 00:14:20,075
that a different conclusion from

303
00:14:20,075 --> 00:14:21,635
what I was trying to garner.

304
00:14:22,295 --> 00:14:24,475
So I could see them seeming, you know,

305
00:14:24,865 --> 00:14:26,835
like almost like a robot for that reason.

306
00:14:27,415 --> 00:14:29,875
And I, I would just say
they, they're doing that

307
00:14:29,895 --> 00:14:31,195
to try and cover themselves.

308
00:14:31,385 --> 00:14:34,755
Because if they're too friendly,
then the citizen may say,

309
00:14:34,815 --> 00:14:35,955
oh, they did this,

310
00:14:36,015 --> 00:14:38,675
or they were too fr, maybe
they might say they're flirty

311
00:14:39,185 --> 00:14:40,675
when all the officer was trying

312
00:14:40,675 --> 00:14:42,115
to do was keep it lighthearted.

313
00:14:42,855 --> 00:14:46,435
Or if they're too strict, then
the citizen can accuse them

314
00:14:46,435 --> 00:14:49,635
of being too harsh and now
they get a complaint for that.

315
00:14:49,855 --> 00:14:52,605
So it can go from each
spectrum, if you will.

316
00:14:53,665 --> 00:14:56,045
- Dr. Matthews says, the public perception

317
00:14:56,045 --> 00:14:58,445
that abusive police officers are the rule,

318
00:14:58,985 --> 00:15:02,685
not the exception, is the
result of the amplification

319
00:15:02,705 --> 00:15:04,285
of social media bias.

320
00:15:06,565 --> 00:15:11,465
- So the citizens are saying
their opinions about police

321
00:15:11,465 --> 00:15:14,745
officers and police law
enforcement in general are coming

322
00:15:14,775 --> 00:15:15,785
from social media.

323
00:15:16,135 --> 00:15:18,025
They're coming from watching the news,

324
00:15:18,215 --> 00:15:20,305
they're coming from friends,
they're coming from family.

325
00:15:21,005 --> 00:15:25,305
So whatever these opinions
are, they're adopting them.

326
00:15:25,575 --> 00:15:29,145
They're not coming from
real life interactions

327
00:15:29,305 --> 00:15:33,465
because it is rare that law
abiding citizens come into

328
00:15:33,985 --> 00:15:35,465
interactions with the police.

329
00:15:36,245 --> 00:15:37,625
- So do you think that it,

330
00:15:38,375 --> 00:15:41,315
the opinions about police get
exaggerated to the negative

331
00:15:42,375 --> 00:15:43,715
- 100%.

332
00:15:44,335 --> 00:15:48,315
100%. So unless you have
a friend, family member

333
00:15:48,415 --> 00:15:51,435
or somebody that you know by association

334
00:15:52,175 --> 00:15:54,875
is a law enforcement officer,
you are going to take

335
00:15:54,985 --> 00:15:57,755
what you see, what you hear as the truth.

336
00:15:58,455 --> 00:15:59,755
So if the media is saying,

337
00:16:00,055 --> 00:16:02,155
all police officers use excessive force,

338
00:16:02,255 --> 00:16:03,595
you're gonna be like, you know what?

339
00:16:04,055 --> 00:16:05,835
All police officers use excessive force.

340
00:16:06,335 --> 00:16:08,675
So, so if I get stopped by the police,

341
00:16:09,175 --> 00:16:10,195
I'm going to yell at them.

342
00:16:10,495 --> 00:16:12,435
I'm going to not listen to what they say,

343
00:16:12,745 --> 00:16:15,355
they're not trustworthy,
that kind of thing.

344
00:16:15,695 --> 00:16:18,475
That's when you get this lack
of respect for the police.

345
00:16:18,815 --> 00:16:21,435
That's when you get
this escalation of stops

346
00:16:21,455 --> 00:16:23,475
and that kind of thing for the police.

347
00:16:23,975 --> 00:16:25,315
That's where that comes from.

348
00:16:25,455 --> 00:16:27,275
And it just continues on like a snowball

349
00:16:27,505 --> 00:16:30,675
because of all of the negative publicity

350
00:16:30,675 --> 00:16:32,715
that police officers
and law enforcement get.

351
00:16:33,505 --> 00:16:36,275
- Body-worn cameras
originated the United Kingdom

352
00:16:36,335 --> 00:16:38,115
during the early two thousands.

353
00:16:38,835 --> 00:16:40,635
A landmark study by the University

354
00:16:40,635 --> 00:16:45,475
of Cambridge involving
nearly 2000 officers, found

355
00:16:45,475 --> 00:16:47,235
that the introduction of body cameras

356
00:16:47,875 --> 00:16:51,875
resulted in a 93% reduction
in complaints against

357
00:16:51,875 --> 00:16:52,955
police officers.

358
00:16:54,315 --> 00:16:58,515
A 2014 study funded by the
US Office of Justice Programs

359
00:16:59,125 --> 00:17:01,235
Diagnostic Center, found

360
00:17:01,235 --> 00:17:04,755
that body-worn cameras
increased arrest prosecutions

361
00:17:05,215 --> 00:17:08,795
and guilty pleas, while
also enabling officers

362
00:17:08,815 --> 00:17:11,675
to resolve criminal cases
more swiftly and efficiently.

363
00:17:12,845 --> 00:17:17,825
But the $750 cost of outfitting
a single officer, as well as

364
00:17:18,425 --> 00:17:22,185
maintaining and stirring
video data can be substantial,

365
00:17:22,915 --> 00:17:25,305
especially for smaller police departments

366
00:17:25,305 --> 00:17:26,625
with limited budgets.

367
00:17:27,665 --> 00:17:30,915
Providing an objective record
of interactions in an era

368
00:17:30,915 --> 00:17:34,435
of growing distrust has
prompted the adoption

369
00:17:34,435 --> 00:17:38,235
of body cameras by emergency
medical services firefighters,

370
00:17:38,705 --> 00:17:40,795
corrections officers in prisons,

371
00:17:41,225 --> 00:17:43,195
some sports arenas and hospitals.

372
00:17:44,185 --> 00:17:45,555
This signals the potential

373
00:17:45,555 --> 00:17:48,915
for widespread adoption
across commercial enterprises.

374
00:17:50,135 --> 00:17:51,715
- So the good part about it is

375
00:17:51,715 --> 00:17:54,435
that they can be used in other industries

376
00:17:54,935 --> 00:17:56,435
to increase transparency

377
00:17:56,655 --> 00:18:00,035
and accountability in these
other industries who need them

378
00:18:00,345 --> 00:18:02,275
because there are, you know,

379
00:18:02,625 --> 00:18:04,115
allegations in other industries,

380
00:18:04,215 --> 00:18:05,475
not just in law enforcement.

381
00:18:05,735 --> 00:18:08,955
So I think that is really good
that they're able to use that

382
00:18:08,975 --> 00:18:12,155
to help other industries
who may need them,

383
00:18:12,225 --> 00:18:15,395
because we know that there
are allegations in emergency

384
00:18:15,395 --> 00:18:19,315
medical personnel industries
that are like, oh, so

385
00:18:19,315 --> 00:18:21,155
and so did this, or so and so did that.

386
00:18:21,155 --> 00:18:23,715
Well, now there's a record.
So we don't have to speculate.

387
00:18:23,715 --> 00:18:24,875
We don't have to guess anymore.

388
00:18:24,895 --> 00:18:26,875
We know exactly what's happening.

389
00:18:27,135 --> 00:18:31,715
So I would definitely say
given when they were initiated

390
00:18:32,055 --> 00:18:34,875
to now, that is a huge change

391
00:18:35,175 --> 00:18:36,395
and it's a change for the better.

392
00:18:36,895 --> 00:18:39,595
- Dr. Matthew's research,
along with the government

393
00:18:39,595 --> 00:18:41,835
and university studies concludes

394
00:18:41,835 --> 00:18:45,435
that body worn cameras have
a calming effect on citizens

395
00:18:46,095 --> 00:18:48,635
and can reduce use of force incidents

396
00:18:48,975 --> 00:18:51,475
and citizens complaints against officers.

397
00:18:52,705 --> 00:18:54,715
This is Robert Riggs reporting.