Tech Tips: Demystifying the Use of Video at Trial (Part 1‪)‬

RECENTLY, A TRIP TO MY LOCAL SUPERMARKET got me thinking about the prevalence of surveillance systems in today's society. As I stood patiently in the checkout line, I glanced to my left and happened to read a National Enquirer headline: "Michael Jackson's Death Caught on Video: home security camera captured his final minutes." I was intrigued. Now, I can't remember if the person ahead of me was buying groceries for a month or massive amounts of lottery tickets, but I had the chance to skim the article briefly. The tabloid claimed that MJ had a pretty extensive surveillance system at his home. I wasn't surprised. He was a star (from his death on June 25, 2009, through about mid-July it was hard to avoid news coverage of his death); and he probably did, in fact, have a rather large and expensive security system. Perhaps cameras did capture final footage of the moments before his death. Even though this was a gossip tabloid, it got me thinking about how, if there were such footage, prosecutors would probably be able to use the surveillance videos in their case-in-chief. In September 1968, Olean, New York, became the first city in the United States to install video cameras along its main business street in an effort to fight crime. Today, cameras are prolific, capturing video footage 24/7 and watching our every movement. From parking lots to checkout counters, from intersections to interrogation rooms, video cameras are everywhere. Let's not forget about hand-held devices. Some of the most surprising footage comes from cell phones with video cameras (just look on www.youtube.com). The old adage is true, a picture is worth a thousand words, but a video is worth several thousand. If you are fortunate to have it, a surveillance video or interrogation video can enhance your prosecution ten-fold. This article will discuss how you can incorporate the video captured from various recording devices into your trial presentations.