[Video Link for one of the nine videos in question; the Seattle Stranger has all nine here.]
Two Washington state policemen used xtranormal to create a series of videos mocking each other, and the correctional systems management company that oversees a local jail. Their supervisor saw the videos, and sued Google to obtain the creator and YouTube uploaders' real names. The lawsuit was blocked, but the name of one of the officers involved was leaked, and he has been demoted as punishment.
The eight-minute cartoon depicts an interaction between an officer and a SCORE employee dressed as a clown. SCORE stands for South Correctional Entity, which oversees the regional jail. The department report calls the video offensive, demeaning and hurtful to their relationship with the jail.
More at AP, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, and Seattle Weekly.
The Seattle Times has a statement from the police department, explaining why the search warrant ordering Google to turn over the real name of the filmmaker ("Mrfuddlesticks") was dropped. The kicker: the police department argued the video amounted to "cyberstalking."
The warrant accused the mysterious filmmaker of cyberstalking by directing the videos at the city and its personnel. Renton police wrote in the warrant that the case was being pursued as cyberstalking because much of what was broadcast was intended to "display lewd content an/or lewd acts, indecent language that is meant to embarrass and emotionally torment the victim." The main character of the videos is a police officer who talks about Police Department issues in a robotic voice. Some current department members and city employees are referenced in the videos, according to the warrant.
Seattle-based attorney Harish Bharti (famous for winning a $12 million class action lawsuit against McDonald's on behalf of vegetarians and Hindus) argued that "the cartoonist and everybody else have a constitutionally protected right to be anonymous and exercise their free speech and expression," and that the Renton, Washington police department's "abuse of police power is beyond belief."
View all nine videos here.
(thanks, Byron).
In a grimly ironic twist, had the officers involved employed excessive force on anything except somebody’s feelings, they would have merited a short paid vacation…
You know what protects employee rights to speak out against their employer? Unions
Why is it so hard to not use your “real” email account for something that you know will cause you grief should you be outed?
Why would anyone assume this silliness would cause them grief? It’s a massive overreaction.
If the Plus trend is anything to go on eventually Google will delete all accounts with fake names.
Seattle, apparently, having solved all other crime.
This has been in the news in Seattle for a couple weeks now. Originally there were nine videos, though it’s not clear to me why the demoted cops were only linked to one of them. (They look like they were made by the same person to me…) The Stranger, a Seattle newspaper, has embedded all nine videos here: http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2011/08/05/the-hilarious-nine-part-cartoon-saga-of-renton-pd
For all of the embarrassment they might have gotten from the 15 people who might have seen this, they have now ensured that they are laughing stocks around the globe.
Streisand Effect GO!
In other news the citizens of Renton might now be that much more aware that there is something REALLY wrong in their police department and they might need to have outside people come in and clean house and take a good look at the prosecutor who shopped the original warrant around so they could crush someone for daring to criticize the department… with the truth.
Do the satire,
Do the time.
The city of Renton’s Motto is ‘ Ahead of the Curve.’ yeah right. I recommend you email the police chief Kevin Milosevich . and tell him what you think of his choice to demote the officer that he wasted so much of the town’s money to prosecute . you can do that at this address KMilosevich@rentonwa.gov
This is a perfect example of the Streisand Effect. I live right up the street from Renton and had no idea these things were going on until the DA submitted his baseless warrant. Now I’ve seen all the videos. Good job Renton DA!
Has no one else noticed that the jail is managed by a private company? Because that’s definitely the sort of thing that’s good for building a healthy (police) state!
Thanks, BB. I’ve been following this story desultorily for a week and a half, and couldn’t figure out what was going on, except the police dept was annoyed. Dueling cops! Of course! Thanks for sorting this out for me. Need to read the Stranger more….
I don’t think I’ve EVER seen Xtranormal used for a video that doesn’t follow the same basic format of “condescending explanation of basic terms to a clueless individual.”
You’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all.
“THAT IS OK NO ELSE KNOWS WHAT THEY DO EITHER”
Ooooh, SNAP!
Noooooope. Renton. Seriously having solved all other crime. (Microsofties too busy working to commit serious crimes).
This is like Serpico, except it’s also funny.
Isn’t that Axe Cop? They demoted Axe Cop? The fiends!
Seriously though, demotion for this seems like a bit of an over-reaction. Does no-one ever just get disciplined in the work place these days and cautioned not to do something like it again or they’d be out on their arse? I can’t help but think that demotion is just going to leave people with the sour taste of resentment and lowered motivation to do a good job.
Oh no! Things like this could undermine the public’s view of the police force!