How Using Videos At Chauvin Trial And Others Impacts Criminal Justice

As the one-year anniversary of the death of George Floyd approaches, one thing is certain: the protests and court proceedings after his murder in Minneapolis might never have happened without a bystander's video. Videos of many incidents across this country, are transforming law enforcement — from police training to prosecutions. It's a change that's been three decades in the making.

The searing video of four LAPD police officers beating Rodney King, 30 years ago, shocked the nation. It precipated a trial and five days of riots after the officers were acquitted. In 2009, a plethora of videos documented the shooting of Oscar Grant by a transit cop in Oakland, Calif. Five years ago, Philando Castile's girlfriend livestreamed his death online after he was shot by a suburban Minneapolis police officer during a traffic stop.

During Derek Chauvin's trial, this year, the prosecuting attorney told jurors, "believe what you saw" and they did — finding Chauvin guilty of murder and manslaughter. It was an example of a change in how people view incidents that involve police use of force. It showed an evolution of a police agency. Several Minneapolis officers including the chief of police, guided by video clips and police policy, testified against Chauvin.