NY Lawmakers to Review Police Body Cameras

Monday, December 7, 2015 6:26 am | < 1 Minute Read

FILE - In this Jan. 15, 2014 file photo a Los Angeles Police officer wears an on-body camera during a demonstration in Los Angeles. During the last three months of 2014, Customs and Border Protection tested cameras in simulated environments including the Border Patrol training academy in Artesia, New Mexico. From January to May, it expanded testing to 90 agents and officers who volunteered across the country to use the cameras on the jobs. The yearlong review cited cost and a host of other reasons to hold off, according to two people familiar with the findings who spoke on condition of anonymity because the findings have not been made public. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File) — In this file photo, a Los Angeles Police officer wears an on-body camera during a demonstration in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File)

A panel of New York state lawmakers is examining the benefits and concerns associated with the use of body cameras on police officers.

Three different Assembly committees plan to meet Tuesday in New York City to review the use of the technology by law enforcement.

Some lawmakers and many critics of police conduct say wider use of the cameras could ensure that the public has a way to hold law enforcement accountable. But the technology is expensive, and prompts questions about how long the video footage should be preserved, who can access it and whether the privacy of individuals caught on camera can be protected.

Lawmakers say they hope the meetings will give them a better understanding of the technology and its possible use by New York police departments.

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