New York Police Department officers are set to test two types of body cameras in the coming months, according to Commissioner William Bratton.
The cameras are part of the department’s efforts to maintain transparency between police and citizens. According to Jessica Tisch, the NYPD’s deputy commissioner for information technology, 60 officers in six precincts will begin wearing the devices by year’s end.
From The Wall Street Journal:
The NYPD will be the largest police force in the nation to use the technology. It has been championed by elected officials, community leaders and some judges as a potential remedy to tense and sometimes fatal interactions between law-enforcement officials and the people they encounter.
The camera is a significant enhancement to the ‘he said, she said’ controversy,” Mr. Bratton said. “But it is not the end all.”
The pilot program will adopt two cameras that are widely used by large and small police forces across the country. The Vievu, about the size of a pager, can be worn on the front of an officer’s shirt. The Taser can be mounted on an officer’s ear, glasses, collar or shoulder.
According to WSJ, precincts mostly cover East Harlem in Manhattan, Mott Haven in the Bronx, East New York in Brooklyn, Jamaica in Queens, and the north shore of Staten Island.
SOURCE: WSJ | PHOTO CREDIT: Getty
