A New York City public advocate is calling for the use of body cameras by all New York Police Department officers as a check on misconduct.
The request comes just a month after Eric Garner of Staten Island died after being held in an illegal police chokehold by an officer.
From the Associated Press:
Public Advocate Letitia James on Monday called for a pilot program to put body-worn cameras on patrol officers in 15 percent of the city’s precincts, with the eventual goal of outfitting all patrol with the cameras.
“We are living in an increasingly technological world, and we should take measures to incorporate video cameras into policing to improve public safety,” James said.
Federal Judge Shira Scheindlin ordered some patrol officers to wear the cameras in a pilot program in her 2013 stop-and-frisk ruling.
A police spokeswoman said Monday that the department is exploring the feasibility of camera technology.
Not everyone is convinced the cameras will put misconduct in check.
Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association President Patrick Lynch says his union wants to see evidence of the cameras’ effectiveness.
James said the body cameras could put a dent in the $152 million the city paid to settle claims of police misconduct in 2013.
Lynch countered that the city “refuses to fight even the most ridiculous and baseless of the claims.”
Or maybe the body cameras will make an officer think twice when he wants to carry out one of these “ridiculous, baseless” police brutality claims.
We’re just saying.
SOURCE: AP | PHOTO CREDIT: Getty
