Focusing on Body Cams
The bodycamsforcops debate just took two surprising spins. Former Police Commissioner Ray Kelly came out for the idea, after long opposing it. He’d feared they might lead to secondguessing when quick action is necessary. But the video of that South Carolina cop shooting a fleeing man in the back changed his mind.
On the other hand, Public Advocate Letitia James — a longtime critic of the NYPD — is raising some important questions about putting cameras on cops.
She’s worried about privacy and cost: Besides cops, who gets access to the video? Can domesticviolence victims opt out? How will the footage be stored? Any limits on Freedom of Information requests?
The questions need answering because the NYPD is launching a bodycam pilot program, thanks to federal Judge Shira Scheindlin’s “remedy” orders in the stopandfrisk case.
But it may be wrong to let Scheindlin’s demonstrated antiNYPD bias taint the city’s debate on body cams. Certainly, Kelly and James are upending expectations.
Notably, the cameras can validate an officer’s actions. In Rialto, Calif., citizen complaints against cops dropped 88 percent in the first year of bodycam use. Use of force by officers fell nearly 60 percent. But James’ doubts are valid, too. As TheWall Street Journal reports, earlyadopter Oakland deploys 560 body cameras, enough for nearly every officer on duty. That’s about five to six terabytes of data each month— about 1,250 to 1,500 highdefinition movie downloads.
The data remains on a department server for at least two years— longer, if it’s needed in a criminal or disciplinary case.
Translate those numbers to the 34,000strong NYPD— and you’re looking at some hefty technological and financial burdens.
All things to figure out before rushing to put body cams on every cop, as some on the City Council would urge. ( By the way, who’s going to negotiate with the PBA on this one?)
Technology is going to keep on transforming everything about Americans’ lives; ignoring it isn’t an option. We look forward to a healthy New York debate on how to roll with this change.