Experts: Video helpful, but not enough to prove some cases
- Mar 8, 2018
- 2 min read
Courtesy of KHON2 News
Click here to watch the KHON2 News segment

From home burglaries to hit and run crashes, victims of crimes that are caught on camera are turning to social media for help. But how helpful are these pictures and videos to investigators? KHON2 spoke with some attorneys who said video evidence is very helpful and there are things you can do to strengthen your case. With the rise of smart phones and surveillance systems, many crimes are caught on camera. "Every chance we've got a video tape, there's a smile on our face because we've got very strong evidence," former Honolulu prosecutor Peter Carlisle said. However, we're told video evidence isn't always enough. "Probable cause is enough to move forward, that may not be enough to get a conviction," Carlisle said. University of Hawaii law professor Kenneth Lawson agrees. "When you get grainy video, obviously you need more evidence than that," he said. Lawson said video evidence is good but most times you need more. "Sound makes a big difference and the nature of the crime," he said. "A lot of it depends if you got voices on the tape because if there are no voices on the tape, you're a little bit more free to argue." We're told it's important to not modify the video. "Who recorded it, that it's authentic, that it hasn't been spliced or diced before it was on Facebook," Lawson said. "You have to show me that that's an actual recording of the event as it happened." When it comes to arrests, the Honolulu Police Department told KHON2 video alone isn't always sufficient for that. Depending on the case, officers would also need corroborating evidence such as witness statements.






















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It is so true that while video evidence is a powerful tool, it often lacks the context needed to be the sole factor in a conviction; it’s the intersection of technology and objective data that really counts. I’ve been following the Hawaii Innocence Project’s work while deep-diving into the real-world Applications of Statistics for my criminology module, and it’s eye-opening to see how data modeling can actually help identify patterns of wrongful conviction that a single video might miss. I’ve been so overwhelmed trying to quantify these legal trends in my own research that I actually had to reach out for some New Assignment Help just to get my data sets organized properly so I could focus on the human impact of…
This article on the limitations of video evidence is so incredibly eye-opening—it’s a powerful reminder that technology isn't always the "silver bullet" for justice that we often assume it to be. I’ve been diving deep into these kinds of complex social and legal issues lately while trying to brainstorm some engaging TED Talk Topics for my final year communications project, and it’s honestly been a bit of a struggle to narrow everything down. I actually had to reach out for some New Assignment Help just to get my research structured properly so I could focus on the actual storytelling side of the presentation. It’s so easy to get overwhelmed by the data, but seeing the work the Hawaii Innocence Project does is…
The Hawaii Innocence Project’s work on how video evidence can be misinterpreted is so eye-opening, especially when you realize how much the legal system relies on forensic "facts" that aren't always definitive. I’ve been trying to break down some of these forensic complexities for my own forensic science module lately, but honestly, the technical research has been a total mountain. I actually had to look for some Affordable Science Assignment Help UK just to get my head around the data interpretation so I didn't fall behind on my practical work. Reaching out for some New Assignment Help was the only way I could manage the workload and still have time to follow these kinds of real-world cases that actually matter. It’s a…
This article really resonates because it highlights something we often overlook — that even the most convincing evidence needs proper context and corroboration to hold up. We live in an age where everyone assumes "caught on camera" automatically means "case closed," but as Professor Lawson points out, grainy footage without audio or witness support can still leave massive gaps. It's a powerful reminder that critical thinking and building a complete picture matter more than any single piece of information. This principle honestly applies to so many areas of life beyond the courtroom. Students working on legal case studies or criminal justice assignments face the same challenge of piecing together incomplete evidence. If you're navigating complex topics like this academically, I'd…