An anonymous YouTube channel showcasing law enforcement interactions has seemingly targeted the Pullman Police Department for disclosure of numerous body camera videos online, including footage of alleged excessive force and misconduct.
The Real World Police channel shares video footage of high-profile or sensational law enforcement arrests and shootings from across the country. The channel has posted about 390 videos since late 2018 and has approximately 394,000 subscribers (more than 11 times the entire population of Pullman).
A search of the channel’s archives shows at least 20 of those videos, or 5 percent, originated from the Pullman Police Department.
“Yes, more Pullman PD,” states the description of one video from early October.
In one recently posted video, a Pullman officer refers to a woman under arrest as “bitch” after she allegedly bit his leg through his pants in 2018. In another video, an officer tells a 20-year-old woman arrested for alleged underage drinking that he would have taken her to a hospital instead of jail if she had been older.
Pullman Police Chief Gary Jenkins wrote in an email he expects Real World Police has identified the department as a convenient source for video material because of his staff’s commitment to timely and accessible public records. The channel seems to monitor police logs and file requests frequently on incidents both big and small.
“One of the costs of being transparent and responsive is, when someone wants videos for whatever reason, we are a good source,” Jenkins wrote. “In addition, because of our demographic, we engage with many intoxicated subjects that make for entertaining videos.”
Real World Police, which did not respond to an email request for comment, has taken some steps to obscure private details, but commenters have indicated they could easily find personal information on those involved.
Many videos have racked up hundreds of viewer comments with some cheering on officers, mocking intoxicated arrestees or questioning police tactics.
Police officer-worn body cameras have drawn praise for bringing new transparency to law enforcement. Footage has increased officer accountability and reduced rates of false complaints against officers. Agencies in Washington must make body camera footage available for release under the Public Records Act.
In 2014, I wrote about the public records and privacy implications of body camera video for the Inlander. Pullman Police provided comment at the time as an early adopter of the technology, which many agencies have adopted in the years since.
While dramatic video can drawn new scrutiny of police agencies. Law enforcement officials also note they often find body camera footage helpful for explaining to the public why they use certain tactics or for reviewing their own practices to improve officer training.
Real World Police describes itself as an “investigative news organization” that is “heavily biased in favor of the truth, whatever it shows.” The channel also operates a Twitter and Patreon account to promote videos and collect payments. None of the accounts offers any specific information on who operates the channel.
Many of the videos feature footage of celebrity arrests or national news events as captured by body cameras or surveillance cameras. Professional athletes and musicians are among the common arrestees. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution referenced Real World Police for a story on the arrest of a local rapper.
Several videos from May depict the arrest and booking of former WSU football player Treshon Broughton in February of 2017. Surveillance footage of that arrest was first published by Whitman County Watch in October of 2018 after Broughton filed a federal lawsuit alleging excessive force and malicious prosecution.
Pullman city officials recently settled the case with Broughton for $150,000.
Whitman County Watch has not viewed all of the footage capturing Pullman Police interactions, which amounts to several hours. But the incidents seem to depict a wide range of encounters from the past two years.
In September, Real World Police posted footage of officers arresting a woman in downtown Pullman on New Year’s Day 2018 after she refused to leave a bar. Officer Shane Emerson confronts the woman in a narrow stairwell where she allegedly bites his leg through his uniform pants.
As officers load the woman into a patrol vehicle, she can be heard denying she had biten Emerson.
“Ya did, bitch,” the officer can be heard answering. “Goddammit.”
A couple minutes later, Pullman Police Sgt. Dan Hargraves (who later resigned under investigation of sexual misconduct) can be heard responding to the woman.
“Yeah, we don’t like you much either,” he tells her.
The video currently has more than 82,600 views on YouTube.
Pullman use of force records suggest Emerson later received counseling for lack of verbal control during the arrest. Jenkins wrote in an email that while the officers’ comments “may be ‘technical’ violations of department policy, we do take into account the context” of the situation.
“When an officer has been involved in an altercation and is assaulted and bitten,” he wrote, “I don’t think it is unreasonable for the officers to react in the manner that they did under that set of circumstances.”
In another video from late September — posted just a week after the incident occurred — Pullman Officer Ruben Harris contacts a 20-year-old woman who appears intoxicated and disoriented. After she struggles to remember her home address, Harris arrests her for being an alleged minor intoxicated in public.
“If you would have been 21 years of age or older, I would have had some really tough decisions to make because I might have had to take you to the hospital,” he tells her. “You were heading in a bad direction.”
Despite the routine nature of the incident, the video has more than 611,000 views. Commenters on the video applauded the woman’s manners and questioned why the officer would detain her in a holding cell if he felt worried enough to potentially take her to the hospital.
Jenkins later explained the department has limited options when an officer feels a person is too intoxicated to take care of his or herself. The officer can leave them with friends or family, can arrest them and hold them in custody until they sober up, or they can take someone to the hospital for protective custody.
This woman did not have friends or family around to take over her care, making the minor in possession arrest the most applicable option. Jenkins explained, “The intoxication requirement for protective custody is a much higher standard.”
Other videos show Pullman officers engaging suspects with Tasers and a 40 mm less-than-lethal projectile as well as combative holding cell footage.
Real World Police also posted a video titled, “Jack in the Schizophrenic Box,” showing the 2016 arrest of WSU student Kyle North, who later alleged officers had used excessive force against him during a mental health crisis. North later accepted a $500,000 settlement over the incident.
Recent public records logs suggest Real World Police has also sought similar officer footage from the WSU Police Department.