Public Settings Heavily Subject To Image Capture
INTERVIEW TOP TAKE:
Chief Joshi: “If you have video evidence, provide it to APD.” If criminals see your post on social media, “they will get rid of the evidence that’s against them” as just occurred with the recent arrest of a car thief suspect.
Hear Entire Interview By Clicking Audio Bar At End Of Overview
AUDIO OVERVIEW
by Larry Freeman
A reporter’s cellphone video of two teen-looking girls toting out two bags stuffed with merchandise from the cosmetics area of the South Shore Walgreens in early October, provides a singular window into the complex domain of cameras, crime and policing, in a camera centric world.
The video shows the two, cold faced youths striding purposefully towards the store exit, with a counter clerk at the rear asking them, “Why are you stealing?” in what clearly appears to be an act of shoplifting, accentuated by the pair’s presumptuous arrogance of not being caught, despite the cell phone camera pointed straight at them.
“I ain’t stealing s—-“ replies one tartly, in blind, bogus denial, as she clings fast to a black and white Burlington Shopping bag that was not visibly on her when she entered the store just several minutes earlier with her compatriot.
The other flashes a two-fingered peace or victory sign, while her right hand holds a product puffed red and white Marshall’s bag, also not on view when the two strode in.
The girls march straight at the camera as the videographer chides, “Hi ladies, whatcha’ got in the bag there? Smile, you’re on Candid Camera, “ a reference to the old days when a TV show would hide cameras and prank folks with humorous scenarios and questions.
Today, we don’t need a TV show to do that. We can do it ourselves.
But we can also capture incidents that are not so light and amusing as those on Candid Camera.
The ‘Marshall’s girl,’ spouts an irritated “Oh my God” as she slaps out at the photo device with her left hand, striking it and the videographer’s hand —which Chief Joshi terms an “assault” in this audio interview — causing a second of motion blur.
The two stride straight out of the store, walk away from the direction of the tower cameras stationed in the parking lot, and head off.
The video ends, replete with clear, highly recognizable images of the two and the videographer injudiciously heckles, “nice identifiers,” referring to distinctive tattoos the two sport.
The Marshall’s girl retorts, “ No one does anything about it. Nobody cares, anyway,” oblivious to the fact that both now live in a permanent fishbowl open to APD officers’ eyes.
“That video is powerful, and it’s definitely going to put these individuals on the officers’ radar. We do make arrests of shoplifters… because of information from the public, from victims and store staff,“ said APD Chief Nishant Joshi in this audio interview.
The videographer provided APD with the video when officers arrived on scene 12-15 minutes later to take a report from the store manager.
ANN is not posting the video due to the duo’s probable status as alleged juvenile offenders.
Use of personal cameras as a “joint venture in Community Policing” is commendable, “ but you have to take into account the risk you put yourself in. Being a good witness from afar, taking good video, getting good vehicle information, that’s going to be important.
Chief Joshi
The shoplifting video is just one of countless iterations of video and still picture images that almost anyone can create, depicting civilian criminal or other anti-social behavior as well as by capturing the conduct of police when interfacing with members of the public.
Add to that stream the advent of body cameras on all Alameda Police Officers —in which Chief Joshi takes pride at being a local pioneer of his department mandate— police vehicle dashboard cams, Automated License Plate Readers (LPR’S) stationed strategically as all city gateways and other in-island locations, and the sprawling numbers of home security cameras, and behold, public settings are wide open to image capture, albeit in patchwork fashion.
When it comes to the sea of lenses that abound, Chief Joshi sees more virtue than hindrance when it comes to aiding police in crime fighting and with regard to police leadership being able to use it as a training tool.
Especially with respect to police body cams content review, he seeks to grow improved police officer interactions with those his officers come into contact with, an element of police culture shaping which he deeply explores in Police Pod Episode two, that examines police culture in Alameda.
(TO HEAR EPISODE TWO, CLICK HERE)
But there is a flip side to people’s propensity to post their pixil performances of crime on local media outlets as well.
One recent post of an Alameda car theft suspect actually dealt a significant set-back to APD’s job of obtaining evidence to build a case against a suspect after they arrested him.
Chief Joshi will tell you all about that, how you can do your part to help stem crime in Alameda, the power of police body cams, the city’s recent purchase of body camera analysis software and so much more in this in depth exploration of the topic .
A FEW MORE KEY TAKES ON WHAT YOU WILL HEAR
Social media is invaluable with cases involving missing persons at risk: “Those are the incidents where we need the public’s help, and we band together as a community, and we get the community to jump on board and help us.” Chief Joshi
“An individual tried to steal a car, and a resident confronted and videotaped them…We were able to identify the person…and, great news, we just recently made an arrest of that person…”
“Give us as much as you can, and we can leverage our technology…We have data bases that can tell us who drives certain vehicles.”
“Why is (officer) Body Cam Review So Important? I’ll tell you…..”