The Citizen Journal
POEDUNK, Calif. — Get ready to see a lot more of your local law enforcers. A LOT more.
In a seemingly preemptive strike, Chief of Police Garey Busbey announced April 1 that he will encourage Poedunk citizens to videotape his officers in as many off-duty activities as possible — including performing various household tasks at home.
“Our citizens are constantly videotaping us on duty and critiquing our every move,” he said.
“It’s gotten to the point where we can’t even pass gas while on patrol without someone filming it, uploading it to YouTube, and it going viral even before the stench has disappeared.”
Contrary to many in law enforcement who believe the practice of citizen filming is invasive and even dangerous, Busbey believes police can learn a lot from these citizen watchdogs.
“Really, who’s better qualified to interpret and provide constructive criticism than those who sit around and watch an endless string of police videos,” he said, citing how the insightful comments of one YouTube user — username DownWithPoliceBrutality —led to an overhaul of the department’s use of force policies.
Chief Busbey said there are to be no restrictions whatsoever on the stuff citizens can record and comment on.
“From hobbies to housecleaning and even bathroom techniques, we think you should have a say about how we perform, all day, every day,” Chief Busbey declared.
“We’ve got a guy we call ‘Two-minute Tommy.’ A citizen who’s clever enough with the camera can show the entire town why Darleen — our dispatcher — started calling him that.”