Recent Court Ruling Orders NYPD to Wear Cameras

Last Updated on 08/15/2013 by Chris Gampat

Stop and Frisk policies in NYC don’t always go down so smoothly and many people often complain about the harsh treatment that police officers give when doing the deed. As a result, people have taken to video taping their encounters. The amount of complaints and court cases made have U.S. District Court Judge Shira Scheindlin order the NYPD to test wearable cameras in the single precinct in each borough (Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island and the Bronx) that had the most stop-and-frisk occurrences in 2012.

Forcing officers to wear cameras will now perhaps change the attitude of the officers and the way that they approach a situation–except for one big problem. The officers can choose to turn them on and off and their own discretion. The units are closed circuit and are activated only when the cop sees an event that they may be liable for later on. The camera records the event until the officer deactivates the camera again.

While NYC’s mayor doesn’t think that it’s such a great idea, officers that do this in other states are very happy with the results. Granted, not many other states are as high a security priority as NYC. Photographers are often targeted in NYC by police, and in the months to come it will be interesting to hear and see what the other side of the law has to say.

Via the Wall St Journal