The Rodney King video changed everything — and nothing

Howard is quoted in this article: The Rodney King video changed everything — and nothing. The article discusses the 1991 beating of Rodney King, one of the first cases where video captured police brutally beating a human being. Then it discusses some of the many recent horrific incidents, captured on video, of police officers using excessive and at times lethal force. Video is changing the conversation about police officers’ use of force, since officers cannot plausibly deny recorded facts. People no longer doubt that at times police officers use too much force. Video often shows that police reports were not truthful. But, even with video, prosecuting brutal police officers is not easy. Disciplining brutal officers still rarely takes place. More work is needed to hold police officers accountable and change the way police departments hire, train, supervise and discipline police officers. The police culture must change.