How Is Video Evidence In Criminal Cases in Oklahoma Used?

Video evidence In criminal cases in Oklahoma can be used but there are certain legal considerations. Some video evidence in criminal cases is a powerful tool. Its a tool that can help to establish important facts, provide context, and corroborate witness testimony. Video evidence works in an Oklahoma criminal case much like any other type of evidence. The admissibility of video evidence in a criminal case is subject to certain rules and procedures. If not met the video can not be admitted at trial in the case.

Hear Say Evidence in Oklahoma

Hear say evidence in Oklahoma is a complex rule that applies to the admission of evidence. Essentially hear say evidence deals with our of court statements made by a person not available to testify. If the statement being offered is done for the purpose of proving what ever matter is in front of the court the statement will not be admitted. This is a rule of evidence that has certain exceptions and may require other conditions are met before its admitted. As it apples to video evidence in a criminal case in Oklahoma, the video is much like an out of court statement. For the video evidence to be admitted the rules of evidence apply certain legal requirements before it can be admitted. This includes video evidence found on your phone or other recording device.

Rules Of Evidence Apply To Video 

The first step in using video evidence in a criminal case is to ensure that the evidence is properly obtained. It must also be properly preserved and not violate a right to privacy. This may involve obtaining a search warrant or a subpoena for the production of the video, depending on the circumstances of the case.

If the video comes from a company’s security cameras or police body cams, anyone who wants to use the evidence in a criminal case will need to locate it and properly request it from the person or agency that controls the video. If the owner does not willingly provide it, a subpoena may be needed to have a court order the owner of the video to give it to the party that wants to use it in evidence.

Once the video evidence has been obtained, it must be authenticated to be admissible in court. This means that the party offering the video evidence must be able to demonstrate that the video is a true and accurate representation of the events that it claims to show. This may involve calling witnesses who were present at the time the video was made or providing other evidence to support the authenticity of the video.

Date stamps on video can be confusing and misleading if the recording device was not correctly set to the proper day and time before the video was recorded. For this reason, video date stamps may lead to the rejection of the evidence in court if the machine’s date stamp is shown to be in error.

Use Of Video Evidence In Court

Once the video evidence has been properly authenticated, it may be admitted into evidence and shown to the jury. The jury will be instructed to consider the video evidence along with other evidence presented in the case to reach a verdict.

It is important to note that video evidence, like any other type of evidence, is subject to challenge. The objection must be raised by the opposing party. Some ways that video evidence may be excluded from use include cases where the video is found to be:

• Improperly obtained—such as where the video was not legally gotten by permission of the owner or court order
• Unfairly prejudicial or misleading, if the video is unclear or ambiguous
• Wasting the court’s time, if the proof is already established in other ways

There are other potential objections that may cause video evidence to be excluded from use at trial.

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Tulsa Okla. Criminal Defense Near You

If a prosecutor wants to use video evidence in a criminal trial its possible. It important that they go through all the steps to properly obtain and submit the evidence to the court. Likewise, if you intend to rely on video evidence as part of your defense. You must also follow the rules of evidence to get the video before the court in your case. The experienced Tulsa criminal law attorneys at Kania Law Office are ready to help you. Call 918-743-2233 or contact us online for more information and to schedule a free consultation.