Ride the Lightning
Cybersecurity and Future of Law Practice Blog
by Sharon D. Nelson Esq., President of Sensei Enterprises, Inc.
Judge Suspended: Fistfight at Walmart Caught on Video
October 11, 2012
We lecture a lot about video evidence because more and more of it arrives in our lab. There was the memorable case when a man was beaten so badly in a parking garage that he lost his arm. When the evidence got to us, 10 minutes of video was missing. Guess which ten minutes?
Few people realize how much time they spend on camera, oblivious to the mechanical eyes in stores, subways,offices, etc. John and I routinely look around noting the cameras, but that's the business we're in. At Sensei, you are on camera when you enter our offices and again if you enter or leave our forensics lab. We even have a sign posted out of courtesy, but then no one seems to read the sign.
Hat tip to our friend Judge Herbert Dixon for sending us another example of video evidence, this one involving a judge. The National Law Journal reported (free registration required) that the Arkansas Supreme Court had suspended Circuit Judge Sam Pope for 30 days after police were called to break up an apparent love-triangle brawl in Walmart.
Surveillance cameras recorded the encounter between Pope, his wife and a male "friend." After exchanging curses, the two men got in a fight and police were called to break it up. The judge issued a statement that he very much regretted the incident (no doubt – not much room to argue with the video evidence).
So before you engage in fisticuffs, look around to see if you're on Candid Camera.
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