A Second Video Of Walter Scott's Murder?
I have a friend who lives in Key West, Florida. This friend points to a similar incident involving a police officer using a taser which occurred back in 2011.
http://thebluepaper.com/case-matthew...another-cover/
My friend posted the following commentary concerning the use of tasers. (TL/DR summary: There may be a second video/audio recording - in the possession of the West Charleston Police Department - showing exactly what occurred between officer Sleger and Walter Scott.)
Here is what my friend posted on a separate message board.
<begin>
Actually...you could say that he did have a 'body camera' of sorts. The
Taser he deployed has both a video camera -and- crystal clear audio
recording...which turns on *
automatically* when the lock on his Taser
carrier is released: He doesn't even have to pull it out. Both the camera
and the audio run until the Taser is restored and locked into the carrier
-or- it runs out of battery power (about 20 minutes). The recordings are
tamper-proof. They absolutely CANNOT be overwritten.
In this case, the Taser was fired (plainly visible)...and the recordings
will reflect that with precise timing. IOW, every nanosecond of the key
encounter between shooter and the "victim" was recorded. Each cartridge
bears both a visual and electronic serial number. Each cartridge is
*required* to be signed for by the carrying officer...using a verifying
formula. Only qualified cops are allowed to carry a Taser: This officer
received a commendation for his stellar performance on qualifying tests.
I don't know, but it's my guess that this officer was charged, largely on
the strength of what the initial examination revealed in those "Taser-cam"
recordings: Note that it was the police department itself that preferred
charges. There is little doubt that this "bystander video" probably
hastened the action, but...the cops actually performed their necessary
duties as they saw fit. That doesn't bode well for Officer Slager...
On the subject of "Taser-cams"...this technology was required
by manufacturers legal department/insurers, to fend off claims made against
it WRT it's (im)proper use, a vital necessity.
How do I know this stuff? Easy. Those Taser-cams served (and still are
serving) as key evidence in TWO similar incidents here in Key West. In one,
a retiree from Michigan died as a result of a police "takedown". He was
"fleeing" (kinda) from a traffic stop...a "slow-speed chase" that involved
multiple officers. Some of the incident was filmed by a Colombian national
on his cell phone. But, the most damning evidence was provided by audio
recordings made (inadvertently) by one officer's Taser...that was merely
dislodged during the final struggle to subdue the guy. The city's insurer
settled for $900,000...but, at the request of the city's Citizen's Review
Board, the Department of Justice is investigating. Not surprisingly, this
incident opened up the sordid underbelly of the corruption endemic to Key
West. I could go on...
The second incident happened almost three years ago...only this "victim"
didn't die, though he might as well have. The responding officer actually
did "fire" his Taser to break up a fight, resulting in critical injuries to
the fellow who was struck. To this day, the lad is wasting away in a rehab
facility...with extensive brain damage. The Taser-cam recorded all the
relevant details, including the fact that the "victim" was not
armed...contrary to initial claims. It also revealed that the officer fired
the Taser contrary to his training -and- contrary to warnings firmly
affixed to the device. Naturally...his relatives have filed a multi-million
dollar lawsuit.
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Last edited by Alan C. Lawhon; 04-09-2015 at 06:25 PM.