11-12-2013, 02:35 PM
POLICE SHOOTINGS & THE CASE FOR POLICE LAPEL CAMS
Jonathan Ferrell and Andy Lopez cases
![[Image: 628x471.jpg]](http://ww4.hdnux.com/photos/24/34/13/5358295/3/628x471.jpg)
Just finished reading the latest on the killing of 13 year-old Andy Lopez (pictured above); he was shot to death late last month by an on-duty deputy and gun trainer who mistook the boy's toy rifle for a real AK47.
Sad story - like the police-killing of unarmed accident victim Jonathan Ferrell, covered in the OP.
In Ferrell's case, the patrol car had a dash cam which has aided in the investigation and helped the PD ascertain swiftly that manslaughter charges should be filed against the officer/shooter who killed Ferrell.
In Lopez's case, the investigation is being based on multiple 3rd party witness accounts (thank god there were witnesses around), the account of the deputy/shooter (Gelhaus), and the account of the rookie who was being trained by Gelhaus that day,
ANDY LOPEZ CASE - What we know now:
- Police approached Lopez from behind because they mistakenly viewed his toy rifle as a real one.
-The toy was one shared by the neighborhood boys; there was no orange tip identifying it as a replica (ether because the replica-type didn't require it or it had been removed). Lopez also had a toy handgun with him - orange tip was in tact on it.
-Lopez began to turn around without dropping the toy.
-Gelhaus claims he doesn't remember if he identified himself as "police" when he told the boy to drop the weapon and before he shot at him 8 times - in fear for his life. (This bothers me - it should be standard procedure to identify themselves as PD; Gelhaus was not facing an immediate threat when he approached the boy from behind and he was training a rookie, FFS.)
-7 of the bullets hit Lopez; witnesses say Gelhaus continued to shoot after the boy was already on the ground.
Like with Jonathan Ferrell, there is a lot of pressure on the PD for a transparent investigation and large public protests have been held.
Unlike with Ferrell, the Sonoma County Sheriff's Department in California has not charged or arrested the officer who shot Lopez to death - still investigating and Lopez's family has filed a lawsuit against the county and the deputy.
It would be great if there had been something captured on dash cam in the Lopez case- like in Ferrell's case. Even better if, in both cases, the officers involved had been wearing lapel cams on their persons. (The topic of lapel cams came up in a thread/story posted by BlindGreed last week as well - hearing more and more about them).
Anyway, this is a good article that makes a compelling case for police lapel cams and highlights the positive results/stats in departments where they've already been implemented.
http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/201...918#page=1[/b]
Not only could lapel cams take some of the ambiguity out of shootings of unarmed civilians, but they may well help prevent them.
Jonathan Ferrell and Andy Lopez cases
Just finished reading the latest on the killing of 13 year-old Andy Lopez (pictured above); he was shot to death late last month by an on-duty deputy and gun trainer who mistook the boy's toy rifle for a real AK47.
Sad story - like the police-killing of unarmed accident victim Jonathan Ferrell, covered in the OP.
In Ferrell's case, the patrol car had a dash cam which has aided in the investigation and helped the PD ascertain swiftly that manslaughter charges should be filed against the officer/shooter who killed Ferrell.
In Lopez's case, the investigation is being based on multiple 3rd party witness accounts (thank god there were witnesses around), the account of the deputy/shooter (Gelhaus), and the account of the rookie who was being trained by Gelhaus that day,
ANDY LOPEZ CASE - What we know now:
- Police approached Lopez from behind because they mistakenly viewed his toy rifle as a real one.
-The toy was one shared by the neighborhood boys; there was no orange tip identifying it as a replica (ether because the replica-type didn't require it or it had been removed). Lopez also had a toy handgun with him - orange tip was in tact on it.
-Lopez began to turn around without dropping the toy.
-Gelhaus claims he doesn't remember if he identified himself as "police" when he told the boy to drop the weapon and before he shot at him 8 times - in fear for his life. (This bothers me - it should be standard procedure to identify themselves as PD; Gelhaus was not facing an immediate threat when he approached the boy from behind and he was training a rookie, FFS.)
-7 of the bullets hit Lopez; witnesses say Gelhaus continued to shoot after the boy was already on the ground.
Like with Jonathan Ferrell, there is a lot of pressure on the PD for a transparent investigation and large public protests have been held.
Unlike with Ferrell, the Sonoma County Sheriff's Department in California has not charged or arrested the officer who shot Lopez to death - still investigating and Lopez's family has filed a lawsuit against the county and the deputy.
It would be great if there had been something captured on dash cam in the Lopez case- like in Ferrell's case. Even better if, in both cases, the officers involved had been wearing lapel cams on their persons. (The topic of lapel cams came up in a thread/story posted by BlindGreed last week as well - hearing more and more about them).
Anyway, this is a good article that makes a compelling case for police lapel cams and highlights the positive results/stats in departments where they've already been implemented.
http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/201...918#page=1[/b]
Not only could lapel cams take some of the ambiguity out of shootings of unarmed civilians, but they may well help prevent them.