Body cameras on police are great. They reduce violence against civilians. And against police.

But only when their presence is announced. Stealth body cams have very little effect.

And over 50% of the effect observed in those studies is attributed to reduced aggression against police--whether physical or verbal.

Which is, of course, what you'd expect if it's the announcement that the cops are wearing body cams that matters. Most police are vaguely aware that they're wearing them, so just wearing them would alter police behavior. Yet unannounced body cams in the 2-3 studies so far that have any peer review and possible statistical significance don't have much effect.

Any additional effect on police behavior comes from being reminded that they're wearing cameras ("vaguely aware" is different from "fully conscious of&quot or the effect on other police that the announcement would have. Not all police in the study were wearing them.

The rest of the effect is entirely "civilian-side," the effect on the person suspected of doing something, the effect on observers who can also ratchet up tensions.

These studies must be obviously, inherently flawed because they don't support the popular narrative, which is by definition the one true narrative.

We citizens have a right to observe our Gov. and local gov/police employees at work.

as the mass surveillance, prison industrial complex, and assaults on journalism, other political protesters, and whistleblowers.

Corporate Republicans and the corporate Third Way are not just another flavor of politician within an essentially functioning representative government. They are ushering in fascism and dismantling democracy itself.


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Peonage (by many other names) is very profitable for only the Masters and their management.

Yes, the lower classes are being corralled into predatory, exploitative communities where the profit comes from their caging. Militarized police also suppress dissent against the growing corporate state.

And it says volumes about the depth and breadth of corruption in our political system right now that a Democratic president is not only failing to try to stop it, but is massively and deliberately escalating the programs that create the problem.

It is notable that we get lots of PR about ADDING cameras to the police state, but there is silence from all corporate politicians about ending the outrage of the militarization itself.

States control their local police and their local 'govs.'

Doubt any Federal gov. President can change for example- local homeowners association rules to seize a home for non payment of fines or a local towns police cash seizure.

Police forces would not have US military equipment if the federal government did not choose to provide it to them. Why is our purportedly Democratic president ESCALATING the militarization programs?

We all know why. For the very same reason Obama is aggressively expanding private prisons in this country. And abusing the Espionage Act to target whistleblowers and journalists. And overseeing federal targeting of groups like Occupy. It is all part of the same agenda.

And we all recognize the immediate attempt by the Third Way defense crew to shift the topic....now to local homeowners' associations (!) ...in order to protect the administration whenever this pattern of outrages is raised here.

It is beyond pathetic at this point, this message control dance of the Third Way to protect corporate Democrats and this corporate administration. To me, the highlight of the hypocrisy came when Ferguson was protesting, and I suggested that protesters demand an end to the federal militarization programs. I was immediately met with one of the most over-the-top, sustained, hyperbolic, and vitriolic defensive swarms that I have *EVER* seen from the corporate posters here. I was even accused of not caring about RACISM because of suggesting that the protesters might actually have policy demands that might involve the Obama administration. It would have been hilarious if the political motive behind it weren't so disgusting. And the cherry on top was that, AFTER all these accusations were leveled against me, the Ferguson protesters *themselves* came out the very next day, demanding the very same thing.

The corporate corruption of this nation will never end as long as we fail to hold politicians accountable just because they wear a certain team color. Dividing us by team color is a tactic and a tool by corporatists and their propaganda machine to keep us powerless in the face of what is being done to us.

You started out talking about body cameras. I pointed out that they are not sufficient and that all the PR about them serves the purpose of pretending to do something about the problem, while actually just adding cameras to an outrageous and unconstitutional police state. I posted damning evidence of this administration's complicity in ESCALATING the militarization of our police. And now you want to talk about homeowners' associations.

I am finished here now, but I think this exchange was useful and illustrative of the REAL problem we face.

nt