Video: Local Law Enforcement Respond To Civilian Cell Phone Video Use

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CLAY COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) — More and more law enforcement agencies are protecting themselves with… Video.

Officers have cameras in glasses they wear, on their shoulder, and in their patrol cars. However, police aren’t the only people with cameras and it’s creating a new set of issues.

Police video was first made famous 23 years ago when Rodney King was beaten by officers in Los Angles.

Now, everyone has a camera on their cell phones and iPads and police see them at almost any scene. But law enforcement say people have that right and it won’t change how they do their job.

New video of a Ferguson, Mo. police officer in a verbal confrontation with a citizen is going viral on the Internet. It’s just the latest in the new video age. Civilian video has become such an issue that many law enforcement agencies like the Alcorn County Sheriff’s Department are developing new policies and training.

Local law enforcement says although it is legal to record the officers while on duty, there are certain restrictions.

“I have no issues with them filming our people doing their job, as long as they’re not interfering with officers in the line of duty. Now that’s one point I think the public does not need to cross,” said Clay County Sheriff Eddie Scott.

Scott says high-end technology allows for nearly everyone to be on camera at anytime. Educating his deputies on how to handle it is a top priority.

“Just about everywhere you go, you’re going to be on some type of camera. So again, just educating the officers, making sure they understand the public’s right to be able to video them and again, what I impress on the point is there are limitations as far as interfering with the office on duty, coming up on private property. So, there’s some things we’re going to have to monitor,” Scott explained.

Like many officers, Clay County deputies’ cars are equipped with cameras and audio recordings. Scott says it’s just one way to hold officers, and sometimes the public, accountable.

“Our officers, we know none of them are perfect. Every situation they deal with is going to be different and something may not always be done by the book. We have taken the video from the past, especially with our SRT teams and stuff like that and we educate our officers on it,” the sheriff said.

Columbus Police and several other agencies are going to vest cams for their officers to record every action. Scott says he hopes his department soon will add that new tool.