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  • 17 Dec 2015
Police body cameras, or “body cams”, as they are known, have been a hot topic of discussion lately. Community groups, the ACLU, and lots of others have been calling on the police nationwide to purchase and use them. And the Austin Police Department has announced that they will be in use in Austin by next year. Specifically, by the end of next summer, police expect that 500 body cams will be used, primarily by officers on foot patrolling the downtown area. The preference for foot patrols takes into account the fact that patrol cars are already equipped with dashboard cameras. But the new cameras will operate somewhat differently.

The body cams that will be worn by APD officers will have to be activated by an officer before they begin to record, while dashboard cameras are generally activated automatically when the emergency lights are turned on or when the door to the patrol car is opened. So what’s the problem? According to some people, the human element – that is, the ability of officers to turn the body cam on or off – will make it more likely that recordings will be suppressed (i.e., destroyed or hidden) when the evidence shows a cop making a mistake or committing a crime. They will simply be able to say that there never was a recording.

Based upon the position of some police departments and police unions on the issue – many have been opposed completely to body cams – you might expect the that the brass in Austin would be in favor of the cams that can be turned on and off at will. But the position of Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo appears to be just the opposite. Speaking recently on the issue at a community meeting, Acevedo stated that “[t]he less human interaction the better.” We take this to mean that the Chief is in favor of taking control of the body cams away from the officers who wear them.

In any event, the APD has adopted a body cam policy, and that includes disciplinary action for officers who fail to turn on their body cams. Failing to turn one on in a case where deadly force is applied will lead to dismissal.

Time will tell how the body cams will affect law enforcement.

Law Office of David D. White, PLLC
1201 Rio Grande Street #200
Austin, TX 78701
(512) 369-3737

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(512) 369-3737
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