A Murray police officer was convicted of assault in January after he punched a 16-year-old boy in the face and mashed his head into the ground. The violence was recorded by his body camera.
The incoherent teen, high on spice, later said he wasn’t aware the officer was trying to wake him as he lay on the side of a road. The teen had taken a feeble kick at the officer, but the video made clear the officer wasn’t in danger and that the punch was uncalled for.
Similar footage has been used as evidence in scores of encounters since departments started deploying body cameras.