Folks, times have changed since I first started out on the streets of New York as a patrolman. The pervasiveness of cell phone cameras combined with the popularity of YouTube have lead me to believe that a new strategy is in order for the police department.
So I've come up with a proposed interim order (which I've more or less de-facto implemented already, but here it is in writing).
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Interim Order #[minion will insert number here]: Concerning Arrests Recorded On Video and Published On the Internet Or Played On Evening News
Any arrest meeting the following criteria:
1) Physical force is used.
2) It is captured via a video recording device.
3) Recorded footage from said device is either: a. Uploaded to YouTube or a similar video sharing site, or, b. Broadcast on a news channel.
If above criteria is met, the uniformed member(s) of the service involved shall be placed on modified assignment for the duration of a lengthy bureaucratic investigation.
Important Note: Complete compliance with all departmental guidelines, laws, and the use of force in a manner as prescribed by Police Academy training during the arrest in question, is in fact entirely irrelevant to the matter. Modification shall occur in all above cases, no matter the correctness of the actions taken by the officer(s) involved.
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Now, granted, the rank and file are not going to like this. Because, after all, at face value it is pretty stupid to automatically modify a police officer for doing his job by the book just because it is captured on camera (this cop even used those green zones and everything, just as taught in the academy).
But the fact is, dear readers, that the New York City political winds - strong as they are - trump everything. If it's at the cost of real leadership, reason, and actually growing a pair against absurd press sensationalism; well, then so be it.
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