The NYPD launched its police body cam pilot program Friday.
The launch comes just after the Eric Garner grand jury decision, in which an officer was not indicted in the chokehold death, despite Garner being unarmed. That incident was caught on cellphone video by a civilian.
Officers in six precincts, including the 40th Precinct in the Bronx, 120th Precinct on Staten Island and the Police Service Area 2 in Brooklyn, have the cameras. A total of 54 officers are wearing the cameras, costing the city $50,000.
Precincts were chosen because of historically high rates of stop-and-frisk incidents. The cameras are a result of the Floyd v. City of New York case, which challenged stop-and-frisk. Part of the settlement involved an agreement to have a pilot program focusing on better accountability by the NYPD.
City officials say the cameras will record police and civilian interactions during incidents. The new program comes in the wake of the death of Akai Gurley, who was fatally shot by a rookie cop in a Brooklyn housing project. The NYPD says the shooting was accidental, however, the city medical examiner ruled the death a homicide.
“Body cameras are going to be an important additional step in the reforms that we’re undertaking,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said during a press conference. “And I think that step is going to greatly increase the confidence of the people in their relationship with the NYPD.” The mayor added that the cameras are part of series of reforms to the NYPD.
“When something happens, to have a video record of it from the police officer’s perspective, it’s going to help in many, many ways. It’s going to improve the work of law enforcement,” de Blasio said. “And God forbid, when something goes wrong, we’re going to have a clear understanding of what happened and whatever approaches we need to take as a result.”
National attention was given to law enforcement body cams in the aftermath of the Michael Brown shooting in Ferguson, Mo.
“I’ve been calling for the department to outfit officers with body-worn cameras because it’s clear that cameras will be able to provide law enforcement with an objective record of police-civilian encounters,” said Public Advocate Letitia James. “Police-worn cameras are the single most effective way to enhance accountability and transparency in policing by providing an objective record of police-civilian encounters.”
NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton said the program has been in progress over the Past several months. The city looked at London’s Metropolitan Police’s use of the cameras, along with the Los Angeles Police Department, where Bratton was commissioner.
“This pilot program will take about three months to allow these 50-some officers to learn for us, build on the L.A. experience, help us to develop the policies, procedures, [and] understand the equipment that we’re testing,” said Bratton.
Body cameras for officers are set to be used nationally. At a meeting last week with civil rights leaders and elected officials, President Barack Obama called for $75 million in federal spending for the devices. Obama is also proposing $263 million in total for body cameras, training for officers and more resources for police departments.
Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association President Pat Lynch called the idea of body cams “absurd.” In September, he said having camera’s would not have made a difference in what happened to Garner.
“These police officers were deployed to correct a crime condition by making a lawful arrest, which Mr. Garner resisted, unfortunately resulting in this tragedy,” he said. “It was obvious that they were being recorded, and it didn’t change anything.”
