Does a video circulating on social media show a real-life arrest of a woman "in her own garden for growing lettuce"? No, that's not true: The video originated from an account, Bodycam Declassified, that publishes video skits mimicking police bodycam footage. The timestamp in the clip doesn't match the format for this particular type of recording device seen on the website of the company that manufactures them.
The claim originated from a video (archived here and here) published on YouTube on July 10, 2025, under the caption:
This is what the video looked like on YouTube at the time of writing:
(Source: Lead Stories screenshot of the Bodycam Declassified account on YouTube)
While the Bodycam Declassified channel's description claimed that it brings its audiences "real, unfiltered bodycam footage, offering insight into real-world situations", the account's self-description (archived here) ended with a disclaimer:
In some videos, we may reenact some elements to clarify key aspects of certain encounters.
It continued with an implication that it is the channel that claims ownership of the videos:
Every case shared is original and exclusive, and if you see our created bodycam footage elsewhere, Please report it...
What looked like the Axon Enterprise, Inc. timestamp in the top right corner of the frame was different from the authentic formats found on bodycam video clips on the company's website, which include struck-through zeros. Those are absent from the timestamp in the "lettuce" clip on YouTube.
Here is a close-up of it from the video on the Bodycam Declassified account:
(Source: Lead Stories screenshot of the Bodycam Declassified account on YouTube)
Here is what the timestamp looks like in this specific type of body-worn camera -- Axon Body 3 (archived here) -- in a video (also available here, archived here and archived here) on the manufacturer's website:
(Source: Lead Stories screenshot of Axon.com website)
The channel on YouTube where the video reviewed in this fact check was initially published was mentioned on the website of the same name: bodycamdeclassified.com (archived here). It showed 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.
- As privately created content (not government-produced public records), our videos are fully protected by copyright law and are NOT subject to the same fair use allowances that might apply to actual police bodycam footage.
- The distinction means our content receives full copyright protection as creative works, similar to any other professionally produced video content.
Attempts to justify unauthorized use of our content by claiming it is 'public record footage' or 'government-created content' are legally incorrect and will be treated as willful copyright infringement.
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Lead Stories previously wrote about other cases in which videos published by this account were mistaken by social media users for authentic police bodycam footage. Those articles can be found here.
