At the same time YouTube has helped law enforcement from all over the world nab criminals, the video-sharing site has also helped authorities weed out cops who use excessive force.
Perhaps one of the better-known cases involves Patrick Pogan, a former New York City police officer who was seen in a much-watched YouTube video body-slamming a bicyclist in 2008. Pogan is accused of assault and filing a false police report and his trial got underway on Monday, according to a story in The New York Times.
The 24-year-old Pogan, who has resigned from NYPD, faces up to four years in jail if convicted, the Times reported on Monday.
Pogan was part of a detachment sent to monitor Critical Mass, a mass bicycle rally that sees thousands ride bikes across cities around the world once a month. In the summer of 2008, Pogan was videotaped by a tourist as he apparently picked out cyclist Christopher Long at random. Pogan is seen on the videotape striding slowly towards Long.
Full story: Trial starts for cop in YouTube cyclist-tackling clip – CNET News