Body cameras are most definitely needed for Stockton cops. They are one of the best convergences of technology and public policy that exists today. They have no bias. They tell no lies. And they have the potential to save taxpayers money in averted lawsuits paid out by Stockton annually.

However, like any system, there’s always ways to beat that system. The bigger concern is why citizens, not police, are requesting the cameras in the first place. It does no good if cameras are not turned on and even when they are, as was the case with Ernest Duenez, in Manteca leading to the $2.2 million settlement, the system exists to protect itself.

This is the greater issue. Cities and departments will never admit culpability because of liability and police unions like the Stockton Police Officers Association will defend their own no matter the circumstances. Politicians backed by SPOA won’t speak out. The DA won’t prosecute those they work with even with video evidence. An actual threat no longer has to be proven, a cop just has to say they “felt threatened” to justify any shooting.

The outcome of citizen complaints, even when investigated, legally can’t be disclosed because of the Police Officer’s Bill of Rights denying any semblance of justice. The system seems fixed with the deck stacked so the house always wins, no matter what. This is why people take to the streets, as can be seen on a mass scale in Ferguson, Mo.

In your Aug 20 article, Stockton Police Chief Eric Jones disagrees with the claim that some residents in Stockton fear cops, even more than gangs. As outlandish as this sounds, it is a prevailing notion among many in our city who see the line blurred between both groups in regards to behavior and attitude.

And not just young brown and black men, but even some white business owners as evidenced in my documentary filmed in 2011. There is a perception that cops in Stockton are prone to escalate situations unnecessarily and, as stated in the article, that some officers abuse their authority and “do whatever they want.”

I have witnessed and experienced it myself and it forever shattered my trust in the institution and individuals who constitute it. If Jones truly desires to heal the divide created with the community after generations of this type of “thin blue line” “us vs. them” relationship then he has to start with acknowledging that reality based on people’s real experiences.

The need for cameras on SPD is the symptom of greater issues such as a culture that exists among too many officers and an attitude toward the people they are supposed to serve which is more akin to a disgruntled employee who hates the place he or she works, exacerbated by the fact that most of SPD is not from and does not live in Stockton nor do the demographics even come close to reflecting the diversity of the people. Body cameras are a step in the right direction of a journey that has far to go.

Motecuzoma Sanchez

Stockton