Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams introduced legislation in the New York City Council today that would expand and expedite transparency of NYPD body-worn camera footage, creating a process for the handling and public accessibility of that footage. These transparency measures would go beyond what is currently required and provide new access to not only footage in high profile or contested incidents, but all recorded NYPD activity.
The bill, Intro. 1989, would require the New York Police Department to share all body-worn camera footage to both the Department of Investigation's Inspector General for the NYPD and the Department of Records and Information Services, within 5 days of its recording. It comes amid a national movement around police accountability and reform.
"Until now, the NYPD has had near-total autonomy over what body camera footage the public had access to, and when they could have it," said Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams. "That prevents true transparency over and accountability for police activity. While the administration's recent reforms are a positive steps, they do not go far enough. Providing this level of access to footage is critical to creating a level of trust in this process and creating greater oversight."
While all NYPD officers are currently equipped with body-worn cameras, there has long been controversy surrounding the release of captured footage and the selective employing of body camera footage by the NYPD, with advocates arguing that such disclosures occur primarily when they depict officer conduct favorably and that such footage is concealed when there may be more negative implications.
Last week, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that the NYPD would be required to release footage of incidents in which officers shoot, kill, or seriously injure someone within 30 days. The Public Advocate's bill both expedites the timeline and removes the qualifier of event to mandate the sharing of all footage.
As protests have continued around the city and nation surrounding policing abuses and reforms, new measures have been proposed and enacted, with the Public Advocate joining calls to go further in creating transformational change.
The Public Advocate has previously introduced legislation that would require reporting on body camera footage, which was discussed in a hearing of the Committee on Public Safety in the fall of 2019 and has yet to be brought to a vote. Last week, Public Advocate Williams' Right to Record Act, which codified the ability of civilians to record police activity, became law after originally being introduced in 2016. He has also recently proposed a number of additional reform measures.
Back to press reports