Why would a resident post the video in the first place if the person wasn’t stealing the package?? Like I’m just going to post a video of myself moving the package or someone I asked to?
...? I think the idea is the internet might misidentify an innocent person as the thief, not that the person obviously committing the crime is innocent
Remember when Redditors tracked down the Boston Marathon Bomber? They convinced a whole bunch of people a random guy was a terrorist. Even if the person is guilty, police don't want lynch mobs trying to track down criminals to deliver vigilante justice.
The officer's request is reasonable. If you film someone committing a crime, give the evidence to police. They're the ones who will investigate and charge the suspect who will have their chance to defend themselves in court and have a judge decide on punishment. Posting videos and photos online isn't how to go about it.
Something similar happened in my own city. Someone spraypainted a war memorial and the local newspaper posted a story about it. A whole bunch of people in the comments got fired up over it. Local police spent more time investigating the grown adults who posted death threats online than catching the teenager who did it. There's a reason why courts issue punishments and not the comment section.
