A Dallas County jailer was fired last month after body cameras revealed that he kicked an inmate in the stomach while trying to remove him from his cell; his removal was upheld by supervisors who reviewed the footage, according to USA Today.
The jailer, Dee Hart, was a five-year veteran of the Dallas County Sheriff's Department.
The video was acquired by news sources thorough an open records request and shows the incident from multiple angles, making the evidence hard to refute.
In the video, Hart and the response team are seen removing an irate prisoner who was naked and covered in pepper spray. The struggling inmate was yelling as they tried to remove him from his cell and in the midst of the struggle, Hart swiftly kicked the inmate in the stomach.
The civil service commission upheld Hart's firing after a five-hour hearing Thursday.
Hart told the commission that "he acted unprofessionally," and that he let his emotions get ahead of his training.
Crime officials say that the body cameras could cost more jailers and deputy's their jobs in the future, but it could also help many officers make the right choices when faced with split second decisions, according to WFAA.
Former police officer Pete Schulte approves of body cameras being implemented in the police force.
"Before somebody could make a comment, 'Well, I think I was kicked in the stomach,' and since there was no evidence of it, you would just say it was unfounded and move on," said Schulte. "Now, with body cameras, it's going to completely change the complaints that come in from inmates and people that are dealing with law enforcement."
Meanwhile, in St. Louis, the shooting of 18-year-old Mansur Ball-Bey on Wednesday has prompted another debate on body cameras, according to Yahoo News.
The lack of solid evidence has cause a state of confusion and distrust which ignited a confrontation between protesters and police that night.
