Public Advocate Pushes Police Body Cameras
Compelled by video of a police chokehold death on Staten Island and the lack of such evidence in the fatal shooting of a Missouri teenager, a top New York City official Thursday intensified her push to equip the city’s 35,000 officers with body-worn cameras.
From CBS New York:
On Thursday, New York City Public Advocate Letitia James held a demonstration of the cameras, which she said would protect residents from misconduct and police officers from false allegations, all while saving the city millions of dollars in legal costs.
“We’ve got a tool at our disposal used in other jurisdictions that in fact can improve police-community relations and the question is: why is it not being used in New York City?” James told reporters, including CBS 2’s Marcia Kramer.
There are different versions of the body camera.Some companies are developing software that automatically turn the cameras on when an officer turns on the siren, James said.
The public advocate showed off two body cameras that she said record both audio and video, can get four to eight hours of record time on one charge and can store 54 hours of record time.
Go Letitia!
I agree use the tools you have to save people’s lives and aggravation in court!