Friday, December 27, 2024

N.Y. Corrections Officers Fatally Beat Cuffed Prisoner

The New York attorney general's office released body cam footage Friday of corrections officers fatally assaulting a state prisoner while he was cuffed to an infirmary bed. Robert Brooks, 43, died a day after the attack. Gov. Kathy Hochul ordered the state Department of Corrections to initiate proceedings to fire 14 works at the Marcy Correctional Facility where the incident occured.

Posted by retort at 06:16 PM | 14 COMMENTS | permalink

Comments

More from the cited article...

... The incident, which has drawn outrage from political leaders and was condemned by the officers' union as "incomprehensible," is being investigated by state Attorney General Letitia James. The inmate, Robert Brooks, 43, died in the hospital a day after the Dec. 9 attack. ...

"These videos are shocking and disturbing," [state Attorney General Letitia James] added.

Brooks can be seen in the videos with his hands cuffed behind his back. In one video, he is sitting up as an officer presses his foot down on him. He is then punched by two officers.

At another point, he is forcefully yanked from the bed by his shirt collar and held up above the ground, his face visibly bloodied. ...

James said the officers had not activated their body cameras, but they were still on and recorded in standby mode. As a result, she added, they did not capture audio and only recorded for 30 minutes.

Her office released the entirety of the four officers' videos, which included some blurring. ...



#1 | Posted by LampLighter at 2024-12-27 06:41 PM

@#1 ... James said the officers had not activated their body cameras ...

Why did they not activate their body cams?

I guess they didn't know about that 30 minute thing.

Another example...

Baltimore Police Caught Planting Drugs In Body-Cam Footage, Public Defender Says (2017)
www.npr.org

... A Baltimore man was held in jail for months after police found a stash of drugs -- but the officer who found the drugs also seems to be the one who hid them in that spot, according to footage from his body camera. The public defender's office says the man is now free and it is questioning the officer's involvement in 53 active cases. ...

The recording is from the afternoon of Jan. 24, when the officer, Richard Pinheiro, was standing in the trash-strewn backyard of a row house along with two other officers. At the start of the footage, Pinheiro is seen holding a soup can with a clear plastic bag stuffed into it. He then places the can among rubbish, before leading the other officers out of the narrow access alley.

On the sidewalk, Pinheiro activates his body-cam " apparently unaware that the device would also preserve his earlier actions. "Police cameras have a feature that saves the 30 seconds of video before activation, but without audio," The Baltimore Sun reports. ...



#2 | Posted by LampLighter at 2024-12-27 06:46 PM

Officers should not have control over when the cameras are active during ANY interactions.

The only reason to turn them off is to commit crime.

I stated this at the time body cams were being implemented.

#3 | Posted by redlightrobot at 2024-12-27 08:11 PM

@#3 ... Officers should not have control over when the cameras are active during ANY interactions. ...

I am not in full agreement with that.

For example, if I call the police to my house for whatever reason, why should my face become part of the public narrative?

imo, your comment addresses the symptom, not the problem.

And the problem seems to be: bad police officers.

#4 | Posted by LampLighter at 2024-12-27 08:24 PM

@#3 ... Officers should not have control over when the cameras are active during ANY interactions. ...
I am not in full agreement with that.
For example, if I call the police to my house for whatever reason, why should my face become part of the public narrative?
imo, your comment addresses the symptom, not the problem.
And the problem seems to be: bad police officers.
#4 | Posted by LampLighter at 2024-12-27 08:24 PM

How are the police or the public to know the difference other than through interactions?

You want special treatment because you expect to never be implicated.

It's dangerous to presume you are entirely safe with police since they can frame any situation however they benefit most.

The symptom appears to be expecting relevance to be determined by police.

They are immune from most prosecution, perhaps that's why they are "bad"?

It certainly doesn't promote them to be "good". Imo.

ALL interactions should be recorded. Period.

#5 | Posted by redlightrobot at 2024-12-27 10:12 PM

@#5 ... How are the police or the public to know the difference other than through interactions? ...

For starters, I would expect the police to be better trained than the general public regarding how to handle such a situation.

... You want special treatment because you expect to never be implicated. ...

Did I say that?

... It's dangerous to presume you are entirely safe with police since they can frame any situation however they benefit most. ...

Maybe that is why the body cameras are not turned on?


#6 | Posted by LampLighter at 2024-12-27 10:22 PM

@#5 ... How are the police or the public to know the difference other than through interactions? ...
For starters, I would expect the police to be better trained than the general public regarding how to handle such a situation.
... You want special treatment because you expect to never be implicated. ...
Did I say that?
... It's dangerous to presume you are entirely safe with police since they can frame any situation however they benefit most. ...
Maybe that is why the body cameras are not turned on?
#6 | Posted by LampLighter at 2024-12-27 10:22 PM

Facepalm.

#7 | Posted by redlightrobot at 2024-12-27 10:46 PM

We should remember police did not implement body cameras for the public interest but for their own sakes, in response to cell phone videos made by bystanders recording police crimes. Which is why they can turn them on and off.

#8 | Posted by babyhuey at 2024-12-28 10:54 AM

Drag out the proceedings against the officers for as long as possible, before convicting them, in order to punish them as much as possible, before Trump pardons them

#9 | Posted by hamburglar at 2024-12-28 11:09 AM

#9.

NY State prison, NY State crime. Trump cannot pardon.

#10 | Posted by babyhuey at 2024-12-28 08:10 PM

Well that does it, Kathy Hochul and Joe Biden should go to jail for allowing this.

#11 | Posted by lfthndthrds at 2024-12-28 09:47 PM

Daniel Penny be damned...

#12 | Posted by lfthndthrds at 2024-12-28 09:47 PM

#9.

... NY State crime. Trump cannot pardon.

I'm always astounded at the abject ignorance of the average voter.

#13 | Posted by et_al at 2024-12-28 11:16 PM

For good cops, cameras are a benefit. For bad cops, cameras are a liability.

Cops should not be permitted to turn a camera on/off. It should run continuously while they are on duty.

#14 | Posted by FedUpWithPols at 2024-12-29 08:21 AM

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