As the Los Angeles Police Department prepares to outfit its force with body cameras during interactions with the public, civil rights groups are concerned over the idea that footage won’t be made public outside of court proceedings.
Body cameras are being touted as one way to increase accountability by recording police interaction with the residents, but questions are looming about what happens to the recorded footage and who controls the material. LAPD Police Chief Charlie Beck recently said the footage would not be released to the public and would be available only through criminal and civil court proceedings, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Critics, like the American Civil Liberties Union, argue if this happens it will ensure zero accountability once 7,000 body cameras are deployed and officers know that footage won’t be seen unless it’s showing their side of the story (in criminal cases) or working against them in civil suits. That’s especially the case considering how many civil suits are filed, how often settlements are paid and how often officers are granted a minimum partial immunity in civil cases, the ACLU said.
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