Does a purported bodycam video authentically show an "Officer Miculitzki" stopping a blind black man on the street and calling his cane a dangerous weapon? No, that's not true: The video originated on a Youtube channel that says it publishes scripted content. Copies of the video went viral on social media without that disclaimer present.
The video (archived here) was published on a Youtube channel named "Bodycam Declassified" on March 18, 2025 under the title "Police Officer Thinks Black Blind Man's Cane Is a Dangerous Weapon". It carried a description that said:
On January 19, 2025, at 2:15pm Officer Miculitzki, a 10-year veteran of the department in the central District, was recorded stopping a blind black man on the street.
Following the incident, he was suspended for six weeks with full pay and benefits. No further disciplinary action was taken.
He later returned to duty with no recorded misconduct on his file.
The blind man did not receive his property back and was never given an apology.
#bodycam #police
This is what the video looked like:
The bio of the Youtube channel (archived here) said:
We bring you real, unfiltered bodycam footage, offering an objective look at law enforcement encounters. Our goal is to inform and educate, allowing viewers to gain insight into real-world situations.
Every case featured on this channel is original and exclusive, carefully re-enacted to highlight incidents not previously covered on YouTube.
If you see this content anywhere else, it's been stolen, Please report it to us so we can dmca and strike their channel.
[email protected]
(Highlight by Lead Stories)
Copies of the video spread on social media still showed the watermark of the channel which mentioned the website bodycamdeclassified.com (archived here) which included a further disclaimer:
PLEASE NOTE: The content on Body Cam Declassified is created and produced content, not actual bodycam footage from official sources. This is a critical legal distinction:
- While actual government-produced bodycam footage may have different copyright considerations and may be subject to broader fair use provisions in some contexts, our content is NOT actual bodycam footage.
- Our videos represent original creative works that we script, film, edit, and produce ourselves.
(Highlight by Lead Stories)
The video appears to have been recorded at an actual bus stop in Miami, Florida. Lead Stories used clues in the background to determine the likely filming location on Google Streetview:
(Image: Google Streetview screenshot taken by Lead Stories on March 21, 2025 at 14:19:07 UTC)
Lead Stories reached out to the website and Youtube channel by email to inquire if the incident acted out in the video was based on actual events and we will update this story when we receive a reply.
