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Detroit Police Will Videotape Some Interrogations

By TChris, Section Crime Policy
Posted on Tue Apr 11, 2006 at 07:14:28 AM EST
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by TChris

The Detroit Police Department has taken a step toward reform by requiring its officers to videotape interrogations of crime suspects in cases that carry the possible penalty of life without parole. If Detroit is serious about reform, it should extend that policy to all interrogations. Why?

"Number one, it keeps cops honest," Chief [Ella] Bully-Cummings said. "It's a protection for the citizen that's being interrogated. But from a chief's point of view, I think the greatest benefit is to police because what it does is provide documentation that they didn't coerce."

The new policy comes in response to a lawsuit filed by the family of a mentally ill man who served nearly 18 years in prison after being coerced to confess to a rape and murder he didn't commit. Sadly, the man died two years after his release, but his family can at least share (in the words of his sister) "a sense that the wrong has been righted."

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    Detroit Police Will Videotape Some Interrogations | 15 comments (15 topical)
    Re: Detroit Police Will Videotape Some Interrogati (none / 0) (#1)
    by Patrick on Tue Apr 11, 2006 at 08:25:50 AM EST
    "Number one, it keeps cops honest," Chief [Ella] Bully-Cummings said.
    Hmmm, If the chief is saying this, that department really has a problem. They shouldn't need videotape to keep police honest, they should use backgrounds and discipline.

    Re: Detroit Police Will Videotape Some Interrogati (none / 0) (#2)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Tue Apr 11, 2006 at 08:37:59 AM EST
    They shouldn't need videotape to keep police honest, they should use backgrounds and discipline.
    Interesting... Why are you against videotaping interrogations?

    Re: Detroit Police Will Videotape Some Interrogati (none / 0) (#3)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Tue Apr 11, 2006 at 09:07:16 AM EST
    I'm a law student clerking at the pd's office. Although the police dept. in my city isn't required to tape, the commonly held belief among attorneys in the office seems to be that taping, on the whole, is bad for defense attorneys. The theory goes that it is more difficult to argue your client was coerced when they are on tape agreeing and repeating the Miranda statements before confessing at length. Do attorneys from cities that require taping prefer it that way?

    Re: Detroit Police Will Videotape Some Interrogati (none / 0) (#5)
    by eric on Tue Apr 11, 2006 at 09:49:50 AM EST
    "the commonly held belief among attorneys in the office seems to be that taping, on the whole, is bad for defense attorneys. The theory goes that it is more difficult to argue your client was coerced when they are on tape agreeing and repeating the Miranda statements before confessing at length." Let me get this straight, these lawyers don't like tapes because it stops them from arguing about coercion? If the tape shows that there was, in fact, no coercion, what's the problem? Do they want the coercion, or do they want the coercion argument? BTW, in Minnesota, all in-custody interrogations are taped. Always.

    Re: Detroit Police Will Videotape Some Interrogati (none / 0) (#6)
    by Patrick on Tue Apr 11, 2006 at 10:56:13 AM EST
    Interesting... Why are you against videotaping interrogations?
    That's a very interesting inference from my statement. Of course I'm not against videotaping. I don't think it should be necessary to keep cops honest. If that's how the chief is doing it, then they've got bigger problems. I am against forcing departments to videotape unless the city/state augments the budget to cover the costs, because smaller departments will be forced to use limited resourses in a way that might not best serve the public.

    Re: Detroit Police Will Videotape Some Interrogati (none / 0) (#7)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Tue Apr 11, 2006 at 11:07:17 AM EST
    I am against forcing departments to videotape unless the city/state augments the budget to cover the costs, because smaller departments will be forced to use limited resourses in a way that might not best serve the public.
    Fair enough

    Re: Detroit Police Will Videotape Some Interrogati (none / 0) (#8)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Tue Apr 11, 2006 at 03:16:09 PM EST
    I am against forcing departments to videotape unless the city/state augments the budget to cover the costs, because smaller departments will be forced to use limited resourses in a way that might not best serve the public. Yeah, justice doesn't serve the public very well and smaller departments can't afford that. ;)

    Re: Detroit Police Will Videotape Some Interrogati (none / 0) (#9)
    by Patrick on Tue Apr 11, 2006 at 03:48:25 PM EST
    PN, Not sure I understand your point. The vast majority of law enforcement agencies are under 100 officers, the exact number is out there on the internet for someone to find if they are so inclined. Many of those departments, in my experience, have very tight budgets and go without many of the technology advances that other bigger or more affluent departments get. Also, they are more in tune with the needs of their community and better able to prioritize those needs within their budget. Forcing some program that may seem a good idea with one or many departments, on every department, isn't always the best idea. With that said, in-car cameras and videotaped interviews are great ideas and worthwhile expenditures, but not at the expense of filling vacancies, basic safety equipment, or better training.

    Re: Detroit Police Will Videotape Some Interrogati (none / 0) (#10)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Tue Apr 11, 2006 at 03:51:04 PM EST
    They shouldn't need videotape to keep police honest, they should use backgrounds and discipline.
    Christ, you're probably expectin' a visit from Peter Cottontail Sunday, too. And you shouldn't have to have contracts, either. A handshake should be good enough. There's no need to put anything in writing. You're just priceless, patrick.

    Re: Detroit Police Will Videotape Some Interrogati (none / 0) (#11)
    by Sailor on Tue Apr 11, 2006 at 04:06:23 PM EST
    You can buy a VCR and camera for under $300, price is not the excuse.

    Re: Detroit Police Will Videotape Some Interrogati (none / 0) (#13)
    by squeaky on Tue Apr 11, 2006 at 05:14:38 PM EST
    Patrick-
    ..... but if you're using it to keep officers honest, you have already lost the battle.
    Do you really believe that police are more honest than the rest of the population? Is corruption less probable in the law enforcement industry than other industries? Hard to imagine either to be true. Easy to understand why you would say such a self serving thing.

    Re: Detroit Police Will Videotape Some Interrogati (none / 0) (#12)
    by Patrick on Tue Apr 11, 2006 at 08:29:03 PM EST
    Chuck, I'm going to take the advice of some here, and ignore you. I know you'll trumpet this as some sort of victory, [insults deleted] Sailor, It's not as simple as buying a VCR, there are tapes, and copies of tapes that need to made for the DA. There's tape storage, hidden microphones, and if you want audio quality and video quality, you need acoustical rooms, better than average mics, small cameras or hidden cameras, and back-up recording systems. To outfit two interview rooms in my department costs 10K last year. In-car video systems are 1K per copy, times 40-50 vehicles, plus all the tapes they use, including tapes that need to be copied and stored. The costs aren't astronomical, but they are significant, especially if the tradeoff is better training, better screening of applicants, filling vacancies, or the other issues I pointed out above. I'm not opposed to agencies using videotape, I think it's a great idea, but if you're using it to keep officers honest, you have already lost the battle.

    Re: Detroit Police Will Videotape Some Interrogati (none / 0) (#14)
    by Sailor on Tue Apr 11, 2006 at 08:44:22 PM EST
    Squeaky, I think Patrick's point was 'if you HAVE to use this, you've already lost the battle.' And I hope what he meant to say was 'if this is necessary, WE'VE already lost the battle.' Patrick, I disagree on the tech points. Why have hidden mics? Why acoustic treat a room? Take the camera in, with it's onboard mic and recorder, and ask the guy questions. You're not making a movie, you're recording a statement. Now if you're talking about tricking somebody while you 'talk' to them, fine, do it outside of the studio. But at some point you're going to have them make a statement; record it on videotape. It's cheap protection for everyone. Besides, look at all the dumb ways small towns (and big ones) spend fed money;-)

    Re: Detroit Police Will Videotape Some Interrogati (none / 0) (#15)
    by Patrick on Wed Apr 12, 2006 at 08:39:07 AM EST
    Do you really believe that police are more honest than the rest of the population? Is corruption less probable in the law enforcement industry than other industries?
    I believe they are supposed to be, but are subject to same human condition we all are. Which is why it is so newsworthy when a cop breaks the law.
    Patrick, I disagree on the tech points. Why have hidden mics? Why acoustic treat a room?
    Why doesn't they suprise me> ;-) I can only offer anecdotal experience. Within the past two weeks my agency interviewed and arson murder suspect who denied everything. While the detective was out of the room, he quietly, but repeatedly asked himself, "Why did I start that fire?" That admission would not have been picked up without quality equipment. That admission will eventually save time and money. As for the hidden camera, it's not a trick, it's basic human psychology. A camera in your face would be intimidating. If something's worth doing, it's worth doing right.

    Re: Detroit Police Will Videotape Some Interrogati (none / 0) (#16)
    by Patrick on Wed Apr 12, 2006 at 08:39:46 AM EST
    TL, Nice editing! Thanks

    Detroit Police Will Videotape Some Interrogations | 15 comments (15 topical)