Video evidence, found and preserved before it is overwritten.

Why video matters so much

In Scott v. Harris (2007), the Supreme Court held that when a video recording clearly contradicts one side's account, a court should view the facts in the light depicted by the video. A recording can end a case or make one. It is the nearest thing to an impartial witness that most cases will ever have.

Government video

Body-worn cameras, dash cameras, jail and booking cameras, interview room recordings, and 911 and dispatch audio are held by the agency involved. Each agency keeps these recordings for a limited period set by its own retention schedule. Identifying exactly which recordings should exist, and requesting them or supporting an attorney's preservation demand promptly, prevents routine deletion from destroying the evidence.

Private video

Businesses, homes, apartment buildings, buses, and passing vehicles record continuously and overwrite continuously. Many systems keep less than a month of footage, and some keep only a few days. A canvass of the area around the scene, done quickly, is the only reliable way to find these recordings in time.

From footage to timeline

Separate recordings rarely tell the story on their own. Each camera has its own clock, its own angle, and its own gaps. Synchronizing the recordings with one another and with dispatch records produces a single timeline that shows, second by second, what happened and in what order.