Sometimes we ask for videos and are told they don’t exist or they’ve been erased. Yes, you heard right, the cops will erase videos, and so long as it’s part of their policy and isn’t done too quickly, the courts allow it most of the time. We are never exactly sure what happened to the video, and this story reminds us that we should always take special care to make sure what we’re being told is the truth.

The story begins with some “urban golf.” Sounds fun and it probably is. A bunch of guys are hitting around a soft, cushy ball about the size of a golf ball. Then someone gets hit that isn’t playing and they’re a little upset. The cops are called, the entire police force comes out and they start rounding people up.

Only thing is, one guy won’t tell the cops who he is. He knows the rules, and sticks his ground. So, he gets arrested and charged with obstruction. He hires a criminal lawyer and begins the fight to get charged dismissed that never should have been filed.

And then they ask for the video. And they are told the video has been destroyed. Only problem, though, is that the defendant is some Joe Schmoe off the street. He’s an expert in computer security. He doesn’t believe that the video has been erased, and starts digging.

What do you know, but there is a log of all the videos around. So he asks for the log. And there it shows his video, as complete as the day is long. You can read the full story here.

What is the lesson in all of this? Ask for video early and often. It almost always helps.