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Saturday, April 11, 2015
By Michael Nichols
Categories: Michael J. Nichols
Michael J. (Mike) Nichols, who recently was named to the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) task force on police body cameras, likes what he sees so far in "body cam" cases. Nichols says "it is truly helpful to have a closer perspective to what the officer saw or - in the case of horizontal gaze nystagmus (hgn) - did not see." Nichols recently viewed body camera footage from the arresting officer in a case in which the hgn test may be critical as it relates to both proper administration by the officer and whether the officer even saw nystagmus. HGN is a test that checks for the involuntary movement of the pupils as they track a stimulus that the officer moves in a specific, standardized way across the subjects face.
Further, legislation is pending in the Michigan House of Representatives regarding the public access to footage from a dashcam. Nichols was recently quoted by local TV station WILX on the issue. A link to the story can be found here:
http://www.wilx.com/home/headlines/Bill-Would-Set-Body-Camera-Guidelines-299620831.html
Nichols accepted an appointment from NACDL President Theodore Simon to serve on the association's task force on body cameras in April, 2015. Nichols lives in Meridian Township and is a member of the Nichols Law Firm, PLLC based in East Lansing. He says "this will be a critical mission in this age especially in light of the recent events in South Carolina." Nichols indicates the committee already held one teleconference for organizational purposes.
For the attorneys who lead, are on the cutting edge NATIONALLY email Mike Nichols at mnichols@nicholslaw.net