The fired Columbus police officer who downloaded body camera footage to his personal device without authorization spoke out about his termination in a YouTube video on Tuesday.
Former officer Spencer Badger said in the 19-minute video that he plans to fight the city's decision to fire him and also sue the city for violating his civil rights. Badger was fired Tuesday for downloading the videos without submitting a public records request. He then posted at least two videos to his YouTube channel called Columbus Police Body Camera.
Badger has run the YouTube channel for about five years since the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests when he said negative narratives about police were spreading. He said he created the channel to push back on this narrative and show the public the good things that police officers do.
"Those are the things that the world needs to see, not this garbage that all cops are bad. That's the kind of stuff that the city and (Mayor Andrew Ginther) were pushing. He was pushing that false narrative because he wanted to take control of the police department," Badger alleged.
Badger's channel posted more than just positive interactions between police and the public. Many of his videos show police shootings, tense situations, police apprehending suspects or videos of suspects under the influence of drugs or alcohol that say or do something out of the ordinary.
Some of Badger's video titles appear to make fun of some of these situations, such as a video posted a week ago of an officer tasing a suspect he was trying to arrest. The video is titled "Suspect begs officers to call his mom after being tased!"
Some of the videos he posts now are positive or show comedic moments, such as an officer giving orders to a loose pig or an officer offering part of his donut to someone he apprehended.
Badger's employment is now in arbitration between the city and the Fraternal Order of Police.
Badger admitted in interviews with police that he illegally downloaded the footage. Badger mentions in his Tuesday video that he violated a Columbus Division of Police policy, but did not specify what he did wrong.
Badger said the city is retaliating against him and says he thinks they've wanted to shut down the channel since he started making videos. He called out Ginther, the Civilian Police Review Board and the city's Inspector General.
"The reason they're terminating me is because they're angry about all of the things that I've said publicly," Badger said. "This is 100% a case of First Amendment retaliation."
Badger said he thinks he will get his job back in 9 to 12 months. He said until then, he plans on monetizing his videos and asking for donations from his viewers to support his family.
Badger previously told WOSU he doesn't monetize his YouTube channel. According to vidIQ, a website that estimates the monetization value of YouTube channels, Badger is able to make a considerable sum from his videos. The website said Badger could make between $1,000 and $4,000 per month.
