For years, I and others have argued for body camera (and police interrogation cameras) to be used in every jurisdiction. Despite the obvious value of such cameras, jurisdictions like Los Angeles County have resisted and still do not have this basic protection for both officers and citizens alike. Likewise, prosecutors in cities like Chicago long opposed the filming of officers by citizens. The recent controversy over a traffic stop in L.A. shows the importance of such body cameras. In the video, an officer pulls over a self-described teacher for using her cellphone while driving and is met with a barrage of racist slurs. The officer was only able to show his side in the encounter because he paid for his own camera. It is absurd that Los Angeles County forces officers to pay for their own cameras to guarantee a record of such encounters. In LA County, it is bring your own camera (BYOC) or engage in policing at your own risk.
The African-American teacher is shown in the video immediately attacking the Hispanic officer with a litany of racist slurs and insults from repeatedly calling him a “murderer” and “Mexico racist” to telling him that he will “always being Mexican” and “never white.” Police say the woman is well known for bringing baseless charges against officers.
Here is the body cam video of the April 23 incident in San Dimas:
The officer remains calm despite the litany of insults.
My anger at the video was not just over the racist slurs but the fact that this officer had to equip himself in Los Angeles.
As many of us have argued for 20 years, these cameras protect officers and the public alike. If this officer did not have this videotape, this could have been an incident where there are two wildly different accounts between the driver and the officer. If a harassment claim is filed, the matter would likely be treated as unproven rather than untrue. It would remain on the officer’s record that he was accused for racism and harassment.
Yet, there is no anger at the political leaders in Los Angeles County for the failure to supply this basic piece of equipment. Last year was the first deployment of body cameras in the city for LA sheriffs. Los Angeles police officers began using body cameras in 2015.
While many politicians are now calling for body cams, it was not long ago that they remained silent on the issue or failed to object (or joined) as police departments demanded delays in the release of such records. In April 2018, the LAPD began releasing body cam footage to the public from officer-involved shootings.
One of the issues delaying such deployment has been the insistence of officers to have greater control in turning on and off cameras. There should be no such debate in terms of the cameras operating as all times in public movements and encounters.
Body cameras will be the police officers best friend. The bad incidences will be proven to be the very rare exception. The things officers need to tolerate and the risks they face will be overwhelming in their favor.
ABSOLUTELY!!! Those on the left think that police are opposed to body cameras. Cops want them in the worst way. And to be fair, body cams will catch the corrupt cop also which is great.
But most will be exonerated of the racist narrative that the left THINKS exists.
This is what happens when you divide a nation by race and teach a generation of black people to blame society for their problems. A trend that accelerated under Obama, our first black president, ironically enough. Meanwhile, the administrators at a college put this lady in a position of authority, a position which she is demonstrably unqualified to hold. Imagine being a Mexican student in this lady’s class. If it were your child, would you count on her to help him achieve his full potential, to treat him fairly irrespective of his race or background, and to grade him fairly? Removing her from the classroom is not enough. The administrators that hired her and allowed this situation to fester need to be identified and held accountable. If there really was ‘equity’ it the the progressive world view, the college would immediately begin an audit of her grading practices to determine how her racist views affected her treatment of Mexicans and other backgrounds that that she so obviously despises. But they don’t want to know the answer. So they won’t.
EDKH,
“If there really was ‘equity’ it the the progressive world view, the college would immediately begin an audit of her grading practices to determine how her racist views affected her treatment of Mexicans and other backgrounds that that she so obviously despises. But they don’t want to know the answer. So they won’t.”
Absolutely correct….and had it been exactly the opposite in the encounter where it was the Cop that had been the trash mouthed racist….you can bet your bottom dollar his Endorsement Activity over his career would be investigated and examined for any evidence of wrong doing and everyone of his cases would have been brought back to Court and dismissed…..and he would be in Court of State and Federal Charges.
If the Education system does really care about rooting out Systemic Racism…I would suggest investigating and prosecuting their own violators just as aggressively as does Law Enforcement and this Nation would be a better off.
That also goes for the Media and Congress…and every other part of our Society….but we have to first accept that Racism can come from any person no matter their Race, Ethnic background, or socio-economic status.
Inquiring minds wanted to know:
https://tbdailynews.com/woman-who-yelled-racist-statements-at-latino-cop-she-called-a-murderer-is-college-professor-kalunda-rae-iwamizu-aka-kalunda-jenkins/
What is the big deal. I mean if a police officer cannot handle irate individuals cussing them out they should not be public servants. Come on people grow up.
Yeah but day after day, year after year and people are getting stupider and more vulgar and disrespectful every 10 years.
These people are only human and there was a time when citizens respected law enforcement.
GC:
You’re ever so tolerant of other people’s pain.
The officer handled himself with professionalism and grace. If a teacher can’t handle herself when she is cited for an admitted moving violation, she should not be on the roads. Come on people grow up. What is the big deal about getting a ticket that it turns even supposedly educated professionals into complete raving racist lunatics?
Also, driving without her license….in a Mercedes yet. Teaching must pay well in CA. She was scarier than the officer.
One wonders what her motive could be. My guess is that she craves attention and is trying to provoke a response from the police that could by spun in such a way as to make her the next national icon of police abuse of blacks. Then people would march carrying signs with her name on them! Rapture!
Her identity has been revealed but I am not going to link to it. Does such conduct warrant doxing, and the kind of blowback she would undoubted get?
Doxxing, no. That is not fair either.
Is it doxing if her actual name is disclosed, but not her address or phone number?
Absolutely. She’s on video brazenly verbally assaulting the officer in a racist rant. She’s not an innocent victim but rather a serial accuser of local law enforcement.
If you know her true identity, it’s fair to post it (on the other hand, posting her address, phone, etc. are not fair game). She should get blowback for her racism and lying.
But just because someone online claims that the driver’s name is XYZ, that doesn’t guarantee that the online ID is right. How did you verify that the ID is accurate?
And cops, this is a great reminder to follow this officer’s example. Don’t lose your cool or otherwise play into the hands of the prejudiced people harassing you.
The driver claimed that she was afraid of the cop, yet she launched into a racist, aggressive rant against him. Strange behavior for someone supposedly afraid the cop would murder her.
This incident doesn’t just highlight the need for body cameras, but also for officers to equip themselves with their own, personal, separate recording devices. Otherwise, they are at the mercy of their department, and sometimes a judge, for if and when official body cam footage will be released.
I know of several incidents in CA in which a cop was wrongfully accused, but the department held onto body cam footage until the conclusion of their investigation. By the time it released exculpatory footage evidence, public opinion had been shaped for months against these cops. Their reputations were ruined in the court of public opinion, and they had been prohibited from so much as speaking out on their own behalf during the investigation.
So, get your own recording device and release the evidence yourself. Departments need to let cops make statements to defend themselves, or at least release exonerating evidence. Once mob justice gets a head of steam going it becomes a juggernaught.
As for the “teacher”, she was openly racist against Mexicans and whites, and prejudiced against cops. So, basically, a darling of the Leftist movement.
Karen, several of us on the left have already condemned her. Claiming she’s “basically, a darling of the Leftist movement” is BS.
Anonymous:
#1, pick an avatar.
#2, Democrats have mainstreamed racism against white and black conservatives – Oreo, Uncle Tom, Step N Fetchit, etc.
The Democrat Party supports BLM, whose motivation is anti-cop, anti-capitalist, and pro-crime. Democrats repeat calls to defund the police, and make other blanket, prejudicial statements against police.
Democrats promote racism against whites in Critical Race Theory and similar programs, in which whites are born oppressors and blacks are born oppressed. If you take 5 minutes you can find curriculum in which whites are forced to apologize to blacks for being born white.
“White privilege” is a racist ideology against whites.
Democrats openly racially discriminate against Asians in school admissions and hiring. See the Thomas Jefferson high school in which the district seeks to move to a lottery for the school instead of merit based because there are too many successful Asians. See Harvard. See just about every Democrat run university in America. Don’t bother claiming universities don’t follow Democrat ideologies. Turley alone has written repeatedly on discrimination against conservatives in academia.
If someone is prejudiced against whites and cops, statistically, they are likely to be a Democrat. You may not like it. You may complain about it. But it’s the truth.
Karen,
#1. No. You’re free to ignore me. You’re also free to ask JT to not allow anonymous comments by anyone. But since he currently allows it, I choose to use it. I recognize that it has both plusses and minuses.
#2. Instead of dealing honestly with your BS statement that she’s “basically, a darling of the Leftist movement,” you go on a long diatribe where you add more BS. I’m not interested in having a long debate with you when you can’t even admit that “basically, a darling of the Leftist movement” is a figment of your imagination.
Diversity (i.e. color judgment), inequity, and exclusion, not limited to racism, is a systemic prejudice, and dogmatic belief and practice of the Pro-Choice, selective, opportunistic (e.g. politically congruent), relativistic (e.g. “ethical”) religion. A principled inclusion. One step forward, two steps backward.
Several? If this kind of stupidity was done by someone on the Right every Republican member of Congress would be asked if they agreed with the actions of the person perceived to be Conservative.
I am on vacation so maybe I missed something. Could you please name the ” several ” Democrat politicians that have condemned this lunatic?
And if asking for politicians is to much who are the ” several” citizens that have condemned it?
Karen S. Yet another perfect analysis.
Thank you.
What about the child in the car? Is she fit to “parent” or even “teach”?
May we finally implement the U.S. Constitution and terminate, with extreme prejudice, affirmative action, quotas, forced busing, “hate crime” laws, “Non-Discrimination” laws, “Fair Housing” laws and the rest of the political emulsifiers unconstitutionally imposed in America to effect the impossible mixture of water and oil?
This racist bigoted black woman can slur the latino cop, but if a latino cop ever criticized BLM on their own social media, guess who would be fired on the spot?
BLM has nothing to do with this. Why do you dingalings always make BLM the Boogerman?
The movement that mainstreamed prejudice against cops, assaults against cops, and racism against whites has nothing to do with an increase in prejudice and assaults against cops, and racism against whites, in American society?
BLM are protesting police violence against blacks – and in some cases they are correct.
Although if someone resists arrest they can expect bad things to happen.
Follow the money. BLM is a scam.
Everything is a scam. Crypto is a scam. The Republican Party is a scam.
Ham is a scam. Sam Sham and the Pharaohs is a scam.
BLM probably started as a sincere reaction to Trayvon Martin and violence against blacks, but it got mutated.
She called him a “Mexican rapist” so she has been listening to Trump about the border crisis.
Anonymous, your TDS is showing. Either that or you need to clean out your ears.
She said ” Mexican RACIST, not Mexican RAPIST.
As with many other total falsehoods attributed to Trump, you Lefty’s hear what you want to hear.
Truth be damned.