Good cop cameras, bad rules: The NYPD's body-cam guidelines need fixing

[radcen]

*sigh* Same ol', same ol'.

Good cop cameras, bad rules: The NYPD's body-cam guidelines need fixing

Good cop cameras, bad rules - NY Daily News

 

[holbritter]

*sigh* Same ol', same ol'.

Significant provisions of the policy cover when and under what circumstances cameras should activated, how footage can be viewed, retention of footage, and the release of footage to the public:

• Activation of cameras: Mandatory activation during all enforcement and investigative encounters. Mandatory deactivation during interactions with confidential informants or sex crime victims, as well as internal meetings and training.
• Viewing of footage: An officer may view his or her own, and other officers’ BWC footage in the furtherance of official duties (arrest processing, etc.). During an official department investigation, including serious injury or death of a person, or an officer firearms discharge, the officer concerned may view his or her own BWC recordings at a time deemed appropriate by the supervisor in charge of the investigation before being required a compelled statement.
• Retention of footage: Body camera footage will be retained for one year (and can be retained longer on a case by case basis)
• Release of footage: The procedure will also cover how and when footage is released to prosecutors, during litigation, and to the public. Needs to be explained: my comment

NYPD Releases Proposed Police Officer Body-Worn Camera Procedure | NYPD News

 

[reinoe]

The good...
There actually is a camera policy that exists...

The bad...

Activation of cameras: Mandatory activation during all enforcement and investigative encounters. Mandatory deactivation during interactions with confidential informants or sex crime victims, as well as internal meetings and training.

So the cameras aren't on all the time by default? Unless a cop goes actively "looking for crime", the camera will only come on when it's convenient for the cop. Clandestine harassment which was endemic with stop & frisk will generally not be captured. Furthermore mandatory turning off the cameras during internal meetings is pretty ridiculous. The NYPD is an organization that literally said "go out there and arrest some Black people" during one of their internal meetings that was captured on secret recording.

Viewing of footage: An officer may view his or her own, and other officers’ BWC footage in the furtherance of official duties (arrest processing, etc.).

Wow so not only can cops view their own recordings, they can view their buddy's to corroborate and co-ordinate their stories? This is actually worse than allowing a cop to view just their own videos.

The Ugly...

• Retention of footage: Body camera footage will be retained for one year (and can be retained longer on a case by case basis)
• Release of footage: The procedure will also cover how and when footage is released to prosecutors, during litigation, and to the public.

Both of these policies are ugly. Cop investigations can take years, and so now evidence that would make a cop look bad can be stalled out then deleted. We all know that "case by case basis" means convenient for the force and inconvenient for the citizens.

The release of footage needs to be much more explicit. Especially since on point 1, video evidence can be conveniently deleted after one year.

This policy is actually more toothless than I imagined it to be.

 

[ThoughtEx.]

In my humble opinion, Police should be able to turn the camera off when talking to confidential informants. Especially, in larger cities where corruption is a possibility. That being said, Patrol officers are not detectives working cases and shouldn't be maintaining a stable of CI's as a general rule. I think they should have the cameras on all the time. And should need supervisor authorization to turn them off, which the supervisor can do remotely.

I know the idea of being on camera all the time probably doesn't sit well with most cops, who for the most part are honest and decent people who perform their duties with honor. But it's a layer of protection they desperately need these days. For one, it makes getting convictions on people they arrest easier. And it will build trust within the communities they patrol. Alot of people do not trust cops because a cop can literally do whatever they want to you, and get away with it. Building that trust, keeps the tension in day to day interactions low. And lessens the likelihood of a situation escalating out of control. The biggest danger to police today is the public relations nightmares brought on by a few bad apples.

I could care less about videoing internal meetings and briefings. I only care about interactions with the public.

As far as keeping the footage, a year seems a little short. Maybe 5 years for footage that shows violations of law, and indefinately on footage that actually makes it into a trial (which is probably already a thing). But the footage from a shift with nothing more than corralling drunks and writing tickets can probably be chucked after a year.

Allowing the officer and his colleagues to view the footage before making an official statement, is just ridiculous. The only person who should be viewing the footage of an incident before the officer in question makes a statement, is a supervisor.

Release of footage is a tricky thing, open investigations could be compromised, potential jurors can be tainted months before trial. In my opinion, the only people who should have access to police cam footage during an open investigation is the DA's office and the Investigator's themselves. And the footage shouldn't be released to the public til a jury sees it. Or the DA decides not to press for a trial.