A recent use of force case, resulting in an in-custody death, is making headlines. The male, who was involved in a serious assault on a woman, appears to be violently slammed to the ground by two officers as he is resisting arrest. Based on this clip, charges were brought against one of the officers in the video.
What Went Wrong?
Like most surveillance video, the original file was a proprietary format that was not easy to playback. Without the proper tools, the investigator screen-captured the proprietary player and produced an inaccurate video that skipped a number of images and accelerated the perception of force. This clip was sent to:
- The media – causing unnecessary public outcry.
- The pathologist – affecting his opinion about the cause of death.
- The courts – causing the trier of fact to review misleading footage.
Get it Right the First Time
The same clip produced with accurate tools paints a dramatically different sequence of events.
Investigators working with video evidence need access to software that quickly and accurately plays back video files in any format. With iNPUT-ACE, any investigator can simply drag and drop video evidence into an intuitive interface, zoom into the video, observe details frame by frame, and make clips for the court in standard formats. No drama, just sound results.
Case Update:
October 20, 2020 – A Canadian judge found Ottawa police Constable Daniel Montsion not guilty on all counts in the death of Abdirahman Abdi.
Despite being rejected by courts, the news media is still using the video file with dropped frames that changed the perception of events. This is another reminder of why it is important to obtain the original file and software like iNPUT-ACE to convert it into a lossless, shareable file type. Once the media gets a hold of the wrong video file, it won’t go away.
Protect the reputation of your agency and your officers, defend against inaccurate public outcry, and get it right the first time with iNPUT-ACE. Empower every investigator with the video tools they need to complete their cases accurately by requesting a trial license today:
