Radley Balko on the 3 Worst Cases of Police Abuse in 2011

Due to the violence depicted and discussed in this video, viewer discretion is advised.

The 1991 beating of Rodney King by the Los Angeles Police Department, which came to light after being caught on video by a citizen trying out a video camera, ushered in a new age of transparency and openness when it comes to law enforcement.

Since then, sound and vision from any number of sources - including cell-phone cams and pocket recorders, not to mention footage shot by police themselves - have captured law enforcement in action in a wide range of circumstances. Sometimes, the footage exonerates the police and sometimes it incriminates them. Always, though, we as citizens gain from having a better sense of how law enforcement operates, even (or especially) when what we see is hugely disturbing.

Reason.tv's Nick Gillespie talked with Reason columnist Radley Balko, proprietor of The Agitator and a long-time student of the increasing militarization of police. We asked Balko to talk about he thinks are the three most-schocking videos of police abuse that have come to light so far in 2011.

Ironically, Balko notes that widespread video of police at work gives rise to the misimpression that such violent abuse is on the rise while police are almost certainly more respectful of civil liberties than they were 50 or 60 years ago. He argues that it's precisely because citizens and watchdogs (including many with the law enforcement community) have more tools at their disposal to ferret out abuse that better practices are being employed.

Approximately 5.30 minutes. Shot and edited by Josh Swain, with camera assists by Meredith Bragg and Jim Epstein.

For longer videos of the incidents show in the interview, go http://reason.tv/video/show/radley-balko-interview-on-3-17.

Go to http://www.reason.tv for downloadable versions of this video and subscribe to Reason.tv's YouTube channel for automatic notifications when new material goes live.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• radley balko
• reason foundation
• reason magazine
• reason.tv
• militarization
• police abuse
• camera
• cell
• caught
• asset forfeiture
• raid
• Rodney King
• nick gillespie
• libertarianism

[TheSavageMusicGroup]

This makes me sooo fucking angry. If my girlfriend happened to get crazy one day and tell a cop that I beat her I would be arrested and thrown in jail. If a cop get's filmed killing a homeless man for no reason, he gets a fucking paid vacation. Can anyone tell me my its so different for the authoratarian figueres of this country than us? Its nuts, we live in a police state and thats the fucking truth.

[darkfire1044]

NO CRIMINAL CHARGES?!?!!? FUCKING POLICE ASSHOLES!!

[gailzappaisatool]

Got bacon?

[Vegheadsrock]

So a cop can kill a guy who makes money widdling wood because he has a knife in his hand within 6 seconds? No questions asked? Huh? No charges filed. Free to do it again. What a world we live in.

[philateliceun]

@TheSavageMusicGroup 12 year old kid throws a brick at a homeless man, blinding him in one eye and gets 50 years in prison, cop beats inmates leg till he brakes the bone and gets fired. Does anybody need more proof?

[seekandestroy77]

1:48 has a smerk on his pig face... hows that funny? a homeless man was killed under 10 sec.for doing nothing wrong but to try to make a living off wood carvings. HOW THE FUCK IS THAT A FUNNY STORY? u sick pig.

[funwithFred]

Your channel and videos are so important. Keep up the good work.  Google and youtube better think twice before censoring any police brutality videos.

[BondisBourne78]

@chowner Source to this 'fact'?

[chowner]

@BondisBourne78 It is true that's why it is a fact.

[sk8erpunkbob]

Don't you hate the fact this happens almost all the time, everywhere! And what can we do about it? Not a damn thing...

If a cop fears for his life, quite frankly he is a pussy and shouldn't have signed up in the first place.

[miamirockstar2010]

take away there immunity! problem solved.