Police warn against ‘trial by YouTube’

Const. Mike Gatto saw the cameras rolling as soon as he pulled up in a police cruiser to break up a keg party on St. Patrick’s Day two years ago in Guelph, Ont.

When police entered the home — filled with 100 to 200 students — to confiscate the kegs, he saw partygoers filming him.

Those videos never ended up online. But Gatto has seen everything from videos of Guelph police traffic stops to violent altercations. Gatto said he personally doesn’t care when people film him, but he knows why they do it: to develop a negative public perception of police.

Three online videos involving police in Ontario have gone viral in recent weeks — capturing an Ontario Provincial Police officer running over a dog, an Ottawa police officer punching a man in the face, and two Toronto police officers blocking a man from filming a drug bust. These videos continue to contribute to a negative perception of police, experts say, and officers are warning the public to avoid a “trial by YouTube.”

“I can’t see any other reason why people are doing it,” said Gatto, now Guelph’s public information officer. “Anything I’ve seen on YouTube seems to have negative connotations for sure.”

There are no laws against filming police officers in public and Gatto says the practice is “common.”

A search of “Guelph police” on YouTube brings up several videos. The first, titled “Guelph cop harassment post C-51 march” shows an officer stopping two people in a truck and asking the passenger for a driver’s licence.

The problem with videos of police altercations, Gatto said, is that they’re filmed from only one perspective. And perspectives can lie.

He remembers a training exercise where half his class watched a video of an altercation filmed from one angle, while the others saw it from a different angle.

“It’s like, ‘Oh my God what did that officer just do?’” Gatto said. “And then you see the other angle it’s like ‘Ah, now that makes sense.’”

Toronto Police Association president Mike McCormack said citizen-filmed videos of police “don’t tell the reality of the story.”

Toronto police Const. James Forcillo is currently on trial for second-degree murder and attempted murder after the shooting of Sammy Yatim on a TTC streetcar. A bystander’s video of the shooting went viral and police were instantly accused of murder on social media.

“Often times, particularly around Forcillo, (what I hear) is ‘What more do you need? You have the video,’” McCormack said. “It’s what we refer to as trial by YouTube.”

McCormack said there have been cases of citizens attempting to “bait” police.

A video posted online in August shows a group of young men attempting to break through a roadblock set up by Toronto police. They confront the officers and speak to them in an antagonizing manner. Police turn on their body cameras and remain calm.

Simon Fraser criminology expert David MacAlister said filming has helped make police operations transparent.

“It’s a good thing that we’re seeing more people videotape what’s going on,” he said.

The additional transparency caused by bystander filming has led to the indictment of police officers in the U.S.

North Charleston police officer Michael Slager was charged with murder after shooting Walter Scott in the back. A bystander filmed Scott running away and being shot in the back with a Taser. Then, it showed what appeared to be Slager picking up the Taser and dropping it near Scott’s body.

The video, which went viral, contradicted Slager’s police report and led to his firing. Since these videos began appearing online, police forces’ ability to mould their image has been lost, MacAlister said.

“I think the public is really getting their perception of what the police have been doing from watching these clips from various websites and it has undoubtedly had a negative impact on the public perception of police.”

The use of body cameras may help police reassert a positive image. Gatto said Guelph police have debated introducing them.

Gatto said body cameras can prove an officer’s innocence. Police may not always like being filmed, but Gatto wishes someone had pulled out a cellphone eight years ago.

Gatto was trying to calm down an “irate” bar employee. After the man was led away by his coworkers, Gatto saw him punch a wall and break his knuckles.

The next day, the man filed a complaint and said Gatto broke his knuckles.

“Had someone been taking video … a video in that case would’ve quickly just said ‘Yep, there’s nothing to this.’”