NationStates

Copwatching is an activity undertaken by activist groups who observe and document police activity whilst looking for signs of police misconduct and police brutality. They believe that monitoring police activity on the streets is a way to prevent police brutality.

Is Copwatching commonplace in YN? Is it legal?

In Countesia, Copwatching is a very strange concept as occurrences of police brutality are often isolated events that are dealt with swifty and transparently.

Copwatching is legal, but not normally necessary, in Olwe. Police brutality is punished with severe beatings, so cops tend to not go too far.

Australic law enforcement is undertaken by Communal Militias, who serve within their local ccommunes - amongst their neighbours and peers. It is considered part of one's civic duty to ensure that those who enforce the law remain accountable, and Australic law possesses many mechanisms to ensure that encounters between militia and civilians are done so with respect to preventing misconduct and corruption.

As such, copwatching is a thankfully rare past time, but most militia action occurs within the watchful public eye by design.

Copwatching is not illegal. But is uncommon.
What it is called police brutality is uncommon. Police wear themselves cams as way to see how procedures are made and improve their actuations.
If a citizen believes that sees a police abuse or a case of police brutality case can denounce the case to the police, press or citizen's defendant office.

Police internal affairs normally does check the veracity of those denounces. Also police activities as oversighted by the Parliament.

Copwatching duties are done by randomly selected citizens whose background differs and are often given equipment necessary to react in case of a misdemeanor, having effectively authority over the Police Forces if a certified crime has been witnessed or has been deemed to be real. Copwatchers however do not have any authority over normal citizens or the Army.

Copwatching is illegal. It was made illegal by Marie BonAztire, the first Supreme Leader, when there were reports of mass copwatching when protests started to spring. It's still in effect today; the current Supreme Leader Waldemar Rochester has made no law that would legalize copwatching.

In Turcheria, Copwatching was not covered by law until 2009. Until 1956, Copwatchers were largely paid no mind by police, as they were not breaking any laws. However, from 1956 to 1976, there was an uptick in levels of police violence. Though only marginal, this began to see Copwatchers come under scrutiny from police, who on occasion (and often publicised by media groups) would arrest those suspected of Copwatching for "suspicious activity". From 1976 to 2009, the levels of police brutality calmed down largely as the result of police reorganisation and reconciliation efforts, though in 2008, a high profile case of an individual police officer seemingly assaulting a Copwatcher resulted in legal proceedings against the officer in question. In 2009, the Commons passed a law guaranteeing the rights of Copwatchers to be free from scrutiny and prosecution by police and the legal system, and formally re-iterating the legality of Copwatching in Turcheria. Since then, no major cases of police reaction against Copwatching has occurred, though the occasional case of Copwatchers being vocally warned against continuing have occurred, mostly in rural Localities.

It's not illegal as such, but it's unwise. Those who go too far get arrested, or even batoned.

Copwatching is legal, but the police don’t tend to go too far that often so it is rarely active.

Why would this be prohibited? TurtleShroomers retain every right to tape uniformed policemen when they are doing their jobs. As long as the creature filming isn't interfering with the police's actions or standing close enough to make them unable to deal with the alleged criminal, they can tape anything they like. Police are not allowed to interfere with people who tape policemen unless the person is physically in the way of the cop and his duties.

TURTLESHROOM II wrote:Under TurtleShroomian law, policemen committing unnecessary violence to an active and dangerous suspect that is visibly and clearly in the course of committing a violent crime, in the presence of two or more witnesses, is not a criminal offense. This is known under TurtleShroomian law as "punitive force" and is a valid defense in court; use of punitive force against alleged nonviolent offenders is a criminal offense and is also grounds for mandatory termination of employment. Intentionally using punitive force against an individual that the officer knows is innocent is a criminal offense punishable by up to sixty years in prison.

The main thing about taping police is that policemen have leeway to engage in unnecessary force on suspects actively committing a crime who try to fight off the police or flee. Taping them will only confirm they were exercising punitive force.

It's legal but unheard of outside of the Tinfoil Hat Society.

Copwatching is completely legal, with bodycam recordings being completely open to watch by the public. It is extremely rare for police misconduct in Destyntine, so not many citizens find copwatching to be an exciting activity. Most copwatchers often enjoy watching the police rescue people more than anything.

Copwatching isn’t illegal, but activism and protests are completely illegal. Anyone can monitor cops, though there really isn’t any point to doing it.
Police brutality on the other hand is very common towards foreigners and non-Sepulcrist citizens. However, they are only allowed to take actions against citizens that are actually violating the law, no matter what race they are. They are also allowed to use brute force against citizens who do anything to disrupt or prevent them from doing their job.

Is Copwatching commonplace in YN?:
In the Sultanates of Pakistan and Bangladesh, yes.
Is it legal?:
Yes, in fact it is encouraged by the Caliph himself so has royal and federal approval.

Oh it's very legal. If it is common though I can't really say. Lescaarch cops are told to actively avoid acts that can be compared to police brutality. To ensure this, commissioners usually have a requirement to accept the demands of a person in a role higher than theirs, such as the mayor. Local government workers will usually spectate police activity to make sure that no cop is being cruel, and overall not stepping out of line. Bureaucratic escapades I tell you. Copwatching is more to be found in smaller communities however, as they possess usually smaller police forces.

Copwatching is built into our legal system

Law enforcement always has to have a civilian board to supervise them. Often these are a special department in the state and cities, and members are always elected by the community. Some police forces don't exist anymore and have had their duties taken over by security militias, though the federal police force has been replaced by imperial guards who answer to the emperor and the elected captain-general of the guards.

Even so, any civilians not on any oversight board can still report and hold law enforcement accountable. Judges sometimes serve the boards but some states don't allow it, and of course Law enforcement officers cannot be on the boards due to an obvious conflict of interest and nor can active duty personnel of the armed forces, and reigning monarchs are sometimes barred.

Countesia wrote:Copwatching is an activity undertaken by activist groups who observe and document police activity whilst looking for signs of police misconduct and police brutality. They believe that monitoring police activity on the streets is a way to prevent police brutality.

Is Copwatching commonplace in YN? Is it legal?

In Countesia, Copwatching is a very strange concept as occurrences of police brutality are often isolated events that are dealt with swifty and transparently.

We have no "cops" as such. Instead, there is Domestic Intelligence, our "secret" police, which roots out treason, sedition and other activities harmful to the State. Trying to tell a DomIntel agent how to do his job is a very bad idea, assuming your goal is not suicide-by-government. DomIntel agents are also allowed to go back, on their off-duty time, and "deal with" anyone who has irked them. This is a privilege every Decepticon citizen has, actually, but sometimes we need to remind people that no one loses their right of proper, private dispute settlement upon accepting a government job.

Trying to form an "activist group" is also traitorous, for such groups are meant to try to coerce the government into doing (or not doing) something. Attempting to coerce the government or otherwise usurp its authority is blatant rebellion, and we won't be having it.

In the North Sea Realm, cop watching is very legal, and is even considered patriotic and socially conscious. In fact, there is an official civilian-run organisation that is an official government body, the Police Accountability Investigation Service, that exists solely to watch and police the police. It functions independently of the police. However, the activity is undertaken by many, including by activist groups and even by unaffiliated individuals.

Copwatching as an activity in Saralonia is, in fact, common, and in places like Saralonia City due to historical precedents, there are strong formalized organizations that ensure the police don't step out of line, especially due to antecedents by the Federal & Municipal police of the city, and digging through past PDSC documents will show a few of the human rights violations committed by the Police Department of the City in the past, and nowadays the government also ensures funds to organizations of this type so the police can be kept monitored by the people.

It's not common, and it's probably de-facto illegal.

It just became enough of an issue that we were forced to make a decision about it. It’s now officially been legalized.

Copwatching is practically non-existent since police are required to wear cameras, police are trained to de-escalate the situation, and police brutality has legal consequences.

There's no legislation regarding copwatching but there's no comprehensive legislation to punish abuse inflicted by police officers.
Copwatching could result in police abuse or apathy as police agents rarely fear repercussions, although the new cadets are being trained with higher standards when it comes to moral integrity and respect of human rights.

Copwatching isn't a thing in Alzatia, since there aren't any cops to watch in the first place. Due to how the Principality's legal system works (criminal accusations can only be made by victims or their families, not the state), police in the modern sense don't exist. Town/village guards do exist, but while they can apprehend crooks caught in the act, they can't charge them. So if you were to piss one off, you might get your butt handed to you, but at least you won't be f---ed again by the courts.

Yes, and it is actively encouraged by politicians. Even high ranking members of Astrafeli law enforcement agencies encourage civil oversight of their members activities in order to help protect the rights of the citizen from potential infractions of their rights.