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An NPR special by Kelly McEvers about the proliferation of videos of police encounters, and their affect on life in America and police-community relations.

Based on NPR's in-depth reporting for the 

How can we learn from them?

The hour features three stories, each centering on a different incident. In one, an unarmed black man is fatally shot by police. The dash-cam footage is subsequently used by both the prosecution and the defense as the officer stands trial. 

In another, a policeman's body-cam captures his own death at the hands of a suspect. That haunting video goes on to become a big part of police training even as it raises many questions. 

Finally, a tense standoff between an officer and a murder suspect ends without a single bullet fired. And how the ubiquity of these videos may have led to that outcome.

The three stories portray a vivid picture of the current cultural moment; one that some researchers say is prompting the most significant reevaluation of police-community relations since the videotaped beating of Rodney King in the early 1990s.

To listen to the program, click the audio player above.

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An NPR special by Kelly McEvers about the proliferation of videos of police encounters, and their affect on life in America, and police-community relations.

NPR Kelly McEvers 'Embedded' special on police videos

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