Bratton’s squad takes a potentially big step forward
In light of Michael Brown, Eric Garner, John Crawford III, Akai Gurley, and countless other controversial fatal police shootings or encounters, several focus groups and politicians have been calling for the NYPD to instill a system that would allow for police officers to wear body cameras, which would grant authorities access to raw footage of what happens in a controversial situation. For example, had Darren Wilson been wearing a body camera when he shot Michael Brown, the different accounts of what happened told in court–one of the main reasons Darren Wilson wasn’t indicted–wouldn’t matter. The prosecutor would be able to see exactly what went down.
According to a New York Daily News report via a NYPD official, police officers operating in select neighborhoods will begin wearing body cameras as part of a pilot program that begins in January.
According to the official:
It’s a controlled setting. You know they’re being done, and where they’re being done. And there’s even the possibility they can be used to document some of the conditions in the buildings.
