MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- After years of seeing video capture officers in a bad light, police departments nationwide are trying to use the medium to their advantage.
Minneapolis police are some of the latest to launch their own YouTube channel. Assistant Police Chief Janee Harteau says the goals are to reach a wider audience, offer transparency and allow the public see what officers are doing.
Online video also lets police tell their side of a story. When a dozen Occupy Minnesota protesters were arrested at a demonstration this spring, they claimed police didn't tell them to disperse. But police had video showing otherwise, so they posted it.
Police in cities such as Boston, Milwaukee and Baltimore have had YouTube channels for years. In some cases, video has helped solve crimes.
