Thursday, December 11, 2003

"Everyone has a cell phone"

Gentle reader,

It is only natural that things change. People however, they don't change. Those who have power will abuse it.

Yup it's another legal case.

However this one has a techie slant to it...

Can you see me now?.
...'at least two patrons at a Nov. 18 hip-hop show used their camera phones to document a police car that parked in front of the West Burnside Street club with a stuffed gorilla attached to the car's grill. Because of the racial overtones, the incident became a news story: Some of the photos were printed by the Tribune and shown on several television stations.
Portland police say they've not used cell phone photos as evidence in any cases, but the Independent Police Review Division of the city auditor's office plans to use the Ringlers pictures to investigate the gorilla incident.
"We still don't have the photos ourselves, but since it was in the paper, it obviously establishes beyond any doubt that there was a stuffed gorilla on a Portland Police Bureau car," said Richard Rosenthal, the police review board's director. "It's not an issue that's being disputed by anybody."'

Don't ignore the racial element in this. Remember that the Rodney King Incident (tm by now I'm sure) triggered a riot, a whole bunch of legal changes and, I suspect that dammed trend for reality TV.

Unlike the Rodney King tape, these are still pictures, and the police officers involved are claiming valid reasons for the gorilla incident (read the article, go on). No one is denying that the toy was there, just the how and why it was there.

Just.

Such a small word. Such a big issue. But expect camera phone and the soon vaunted videophone to become more eligible as evidence, and even used in broadcast mediums.

take care,
Will

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