Cameras On Cops: Coming To a Town Near You

An anonymous reader writes "The trend of police officers using body-mounted cameras is going nationwide. As we discussed last month, the NYPD is pondering the cameras, and the LAPD is actively testing them. A town in California (population ~100,000) has tested them with seeming success: incidents involving officers using force have dropped more than half, and citizen complaints have dropped almost 90%. '[C]ops are required to turn on their cameras in any confrontation with a suspect or citizen. The footage is uploaded to computers when they return to the station, and is typically retained for one to three months.' The town's success is even drawing interest from police departments in other countries. The ACLU likes the idea, but has problems with it in practice, so they're opposing the trend (PDF). They worry about privacy abuses, and they want citizens caught on camera to be allowed equal access to the footage."

Comments

Broken camera

[Anonymous Coward]

Yeah, but when the camera is obstructed accidentally, what's going to happen? NOTHING. There is NO police accountability anymore.
 
I just read about a cop yesterday who shot a 70-year-old in the chest because he pulled a cane out of the car. Look up the story. It was completely unjustifiable, and there was no recourse. Black kids beaten up because they look black, and NO RECOURSE. Gay kid kicked in the head and arrested because he had a picture of his "BFF" in his wallet which he saw the cop going through? NO RECOURSE.
 
PAPERS, PLEASE! *THWACK!*