One night last August, Life Allah, an Over-the-Rhine barber and clothing store owner, says he watched a police officer throw a man against a police car and arrest him. Mr. Allah, 24, got on his bike and rode away a few feet, but he couldn't stop watching.

        The officer told him to leave, but Mr. Allah pointed out he has a right to observe. Then the officer got physical with him, Mr. Allah says.

        “He grabbed me by my arm and put me against the police car.I flinched a little bit, and his hand was in my pocket, reaching for my identification. I said, "Man, what are you doing?' He punched me in my chin, and he had me by my T-shirt and ... ripped it.”

        Mr. Allah says he was placed in the back seat of the patrol car, next to the man who had just been arrested, as the officer checked to see if he had a record. He didn't.

        Mr. Allah, 24, was issued two tickets, for operating a bicycle in a city street and at night without a light. He later filed a complaint against the officer. Police are investigating.

Watchful eyes

        Mr. Allah is still watching. He is part of a group of about 20 Tristate volunteers who observe and record police-citizen encounters in Over-the-Rhine. Cincinnati Copwatch, though formed after last year's unrest, recently bought digital camera equipment and launched a Web site to post dispatches from the streets.

        It is part of a national movement to boost police accountability and discourage chances for brutality.

        Copwatch got its start during the 1960s protests, but its reincarnation began in 1990 in Berkeley, Calif., when police and homeless advocates clashed in riots near the University of California. The Rodney King beating videotape was not by a Copwatch volunteer, but its power helped launch other groups.

        The Berkeley Copwatch group consults with and trains local groups in several dozen cities including Los Angeles, Seattle, Denver, Phoenix, Philadelphia, New York and Portland, Ore.

        Copwatch surveillance has led to investigations of officers, the establishment of civilian police review boards and the study of racial profiling. The Texas Copwatch Blotter publicized information that led to the arrest and guilty pleas of deputies who stole from crime scenes and made unlawful traffic stops.

        But the effort has come with some cost. Copwatch members in Columbus won court judgments against police who arrested them just for observing. There are numerous other instances in which Copwatch members have been arrested, detained and stuck with their own legal bills.

        Copwatch members must know the law to stay within their rights, founders say. So far, the local Copwatchers have avoided such scrapes.
       

A video world

        Copwatch volunteers work in pairs.Armed with cameras and police scanners, they go to scenes where police contact is common.

        Mostly they serve as a deterrent, organizers say. They often wear T-shirts, arm bands or ID badges to let police know they're there. When no police are around, they hand out cards informing residents of their rights and how to behave with police.

        The group poses no threat, Cincinnati Police Lt. Kurt Byrd says.

        Most police cruisers have mounted video cameras. Video from one of those cameras contradicted Officer Stephen Roach's story about his shooting of Timothy Thomas last April, Lt. Byrd says.

        “We tell all our officers they should always conduct themselves as though they were being taped or filmed.”

        Just to be sure, though, Mr. Allah and Copwatch are on patrol.

        Denise Smith Amos can be reached at 768-8395, or e-mail
       damos@enquirer.com
       

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