Federal immigration officers in the Chicago area will be required to wear body cameras, a judge said Thursday after seeing tear gas and other aggressive steps used against protesters.
U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis said she was a “little startled” after seeing TV images of clashes between agents and the public during President Donald Trump’s administration’s immigration crackdown.
“I live in Chicago if folks haven’t noticed,” she said. “And I’m not blind, right?”
Every win matters. It’s so important to see sensible judges.
The federal agencies this year have shown repeatedly in court their testimony is unreliable. In future cases, if the cameras were deliberately disabled or obscured or were available but ‘forgotten’ to be worn, and it’s one party’s word against the other, judges may side against the federal government more often.
There’s a very easy way to prevent that; add a rule that any claim made against an officer without a working body cam is presumed to be true, and the officer’s contracting testimony isn’t relevant. If they don’t want people lying about their conduct, they’re given the equipment to protect themselves, and responsible for ensuring it’s functioning.