BradB7
Posts: 22
Posts: 22
Posted:
Video Recording Meetings, Part 7/8: The police aren't interested until I mention the video
I said in Part 1 of this series that recording meetings was the best thing I have ever done as a board member. Having a video came in handy when I was threatened at a board meeting when we had a large turnout of irate residents. I had no idea all these people were coming, and this mob came for blood.
Now before anyone says "Hey board president you need to learn how to control your meetings", I do control my meetings, and if anyone violates our meeting policies I have order restored in about two seconds. At this meeting it was a mob that had come together and was feeding off each other, kind of like a shark feeding frenzy.
At one point during all the yelling, a homeowner stood up and said "Where's the camera! I want to make sure this is on video!" He then faced the camera and proceeded to threaten me in front of a room full of people. No one said anything. Not the other residents, not the board members, not the property manager.
The next day I called the police and reported what happened. I spoke to an officer and told him about the threat made to me. He wasn't interested. I told the officer that the threat was made in front of a room full of people as witnesses. He wasn't interested.
I told the officer that the meeting was recorded and the threat was on video, and I would show it to him if needed.
Now he was interested.
I learned several things from this experience. A group of hostile people doesn't care about being recorded, and neither did the person who made the threat. It was stupid to make a threat in a room full of people, but even stupider that he wanted his threat on camera. That was good for me and the police, and I learned that the police like videos.
I also called our attorney and told her that I'm glad I didn't follow her advice not to record meetings. After that experience I never had a doubt again about recording.
Next:
Part 8/8: What I learned, and why I will always record meetings
I said in Part 1 of this series that recording meetings was the best thing I have ever done as a board member. Having a video came in handy when I was threatened at a board meeting when we had a large turnout of irate residents. I had no idea all these people were coming, and this mob came for blood.
Now before anyone says "Hey board president you need to learn how to control your meetings", I do control my meetings, and if anyone violates our meeting policies I have order restored in about two seconds. At this meeting it was a mob that had come together and was feeding off each other, kind of like a shark feeding frenzy.
At one point during all the yelling, a homeowner stood up and said "Where's the camera! I want to make sure this is on video!" He then faced the camera and proceeded to threaten me in front of a room full of people. No one said anything. Not the other residents, not the board members, not the property manager.
The next day I called the police and reported what happened. I spoke to an officer and told him about the threat made to me. He wasn't interested. I told the officer that the threat was made in front of a room full of people as witnesses. He wasn't interested.
I told the officer that the meeting was recorded and the threat was on video, and I would show it to him if needed.
Now he was interested.
I learned several things from this experience. A group of hostile people doesn't care about being recorded, and neither did the person who made the threat. It was stupid to make a threat in a room full of people, but even stupider that he wanted his threat on camera. That was good for me and the police, and I learned that the police like videos.
I also called our attorney and told her that I'm glad I didn't follow her advice not to record meetings. After that experience I never had a doubt again about recording.
Next:
Part 8/8: What I learned, and why I will always record meetings