Critics grow over rollout of Nassau County Police body camera program

[ad_1]

News 12 Staff

June 29, 2021, 9:29 p.m.

Updated on: Jun 29, 2021, 9:29 p.m.

There was mounting criticism on Tuesday over the lack of policy and procedures in place following full approval by the Nassau Legislature of the police body camera program.

Dennis Jones, who is retired from the NYPD and an advocate for police reform in Nassau, said he and many others were unaware that the Legislature planned to vote on the program on Monday night.

“It wasn’t widely released to the community,” Jones explains.

Lawmaker Carrie Solages disagrees, saying there had been full transparency and full disclosure that the hearing had taken place and that there had been public comment.

While Jones supports the use of body cameras, he says paying each agent an annual allowance of $ 3,000 at a total cost of $ 8 million per year to taxpayers should not happen.

“We are already a short county for the high price we have to pay for policing,” Jones said.

Lawyer Fred Brewington also said policy and procedures such as when an officer can turn the camera on and off should have been in place before the vote.

Nassau County Director Laura Curran said policies and procedures would be developed before the pilot program begins.

“We will have done it in a long time,” says Curran.

Curran and Nassau Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder said they had negotiated with the police union to make it happen. Ryder says they have reviewed the NYPD and Suffolk Police body camera policies.

“We already have a draft, but we’re modifying it as we learn about the instrument and what it can do,” says Ryder.

The NYPD Patrol Guide makes it clear that cameras must be on for all use of force incidents and arrests. Suffolk policy states that the system is designed to come on whenever the vehicle’s hazard warning lights are activated.

The Nassau County Police Body Camera Pilot Program will begin in September in Elmont 5th Ward and Bethpage 8th Ward. The full program is expected to start by the end of the year.

[ad_2]