Keeping Rights on Record

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Created on Thursday, 20 November 2014 15:49

Written by Courtland Hanley

VERMONT - As technology continues to evolve, the way our human rights are protected evolve as well. March 2nd, 1991, would forever change how news is covered and shared, and opened the eyes of many around the world.

Woken by the sound of sirens and helicopters, 31-year old George Holliday stepped out onto his terrace to see what the ruckus was. It turned out to be a group of cops beating a downed citizen. Holliday would begin filming the incident on a new camcorder he had recently purchased, recording what would otherwise be soon forgotten.

And now let's fast forward two decades. According to Pew Research nine out of ten American adults have a cellular device - and nearly 6 out of ten have a smart phone, which has endless technological novelties. Cameras have evolved in countless ways, with more features, smaller designs, and higher memory capabilities.

"If a picture is worth a thousand words, well, a video is worth ten thousand," says Caledonia County Sheriff Dean Shatney.

Technology within police departments have evolved as well. The Rodney King incident, and others similar to it, led to the installation of dash cameras in cruisers. While those dash cams were helpful in providing video, they provided no audio outside of the police vehicle.

This led to the creation of the body camera. While varying in size, as can be seen here and here, the ability for these cameras to also produce audio is crucial. With battery life ranging from 4-8 hours, these cameras hold roughly that same amount of footage.

According to George Johnson of the St. Johnsbury Police Department, "A police department should try to be kind of like a window, you know, transparent as possible." And body cameras are a large step towards ensuring that, preserving the rights of both officers and those they're engaging with.

One case in particular where a body camera would have come in handy takes us back to March 6th of this year.

Rutland resident Greg Zullo was on his way back from work at the Killington resort, on his way to a friend's house. He was pulled over on the way - all of what ensued was recorded via dash cam.

The reason? According to State Trooper Lewis Hatch, snow was prohibiting a clear view of Zullo's registration sticker on his license plate.

Zullo says that when the trooper got to his window, however, he was very adamant that he smelled marijuana, and even questioned his possible possession of heroin.

Hatch would then present Zullo with a yellow piece of paper, requesting Zullo's consent to search and seize his vehicle. Knowing his rights, Zullo declined.

Another trooper arrived on the scene, and Zullo's vehicle was searched, before a tow was called to the scene.

"'We're the ones with a badge, not you,' it's sort of like a power trip that they get," says Zullo.

Eight miles from his home, Zullo was left roadside, with no vehicle, and no ride.

"It's just really nerve-racking... these are the people that are supposed to protect you, yet they're the ones we need protection from."

The American Civil Liberties Union of Vermont has filed a lawsuit on Zullo's behalf against the state of Vermont as a result.

Allen Gilbert, Executive Director of the ACLU of Vermont, says "I think the problem is, there are some bad apples, and the few bad apples give a very bad name to everybody else and that's not fair to the many officers who really are doing a good job."

A more recent event where a body camera would have come in handy took place in Burlington at the beginning of November.

"My initial thought when I first saw the video was... it's pretty repulsive," says Gilbert.

What we see in the video is officers making an aggressive arrest on someone who appears to be resisting, recorded by a civilian nearby. What we don't see is what led up to this.

This is where body cameras would come into play. It takes out the guess work, and leaves no questions to the preceding events of what we see from camera phones. Often times authorities are villainized for the effect by those who don't know the cause.

"It wouldn't surprise me if it goes nationwide and there's a mandate," says Shatney.

But for now, there is no nation-wide mandate, and not all authorities wear them. 

There are some city-wide mandates though. Starting in January of 2015, each member of the Burlington Police Department will be provided with a body camera.

Even for those who do wear them, they don't always remember to turn them on.

Perhaps, if a mandate is made, we will all see both sides of the coin.