Denver could join a growing list of cities where police wear digital cameras to record encounters with the public, a move the local ACLU says could increase officers’ accountability, but one that raises concerns among privacy advocates.
In two weeks, the Denver Police Department will launch a 60-day pilot program with 23 officers testing the “body-worn digital recording devices,” which can be clipped to uniforms or, in the case of one model, worn as a headset. All record audio as well as video. Once that testing is done, the department will decide whether to use the cameras.
The technology will provide evidence that can be used in court and cut down on cases that hinge on the officer’s word versus the suspect’s, Lieutenant Ernie Martinez of the department’s Special Investigations Bureau said.
They could also record incidents of excessive force by police, said Jessie Ulibarri, public policy director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado. A police surveillance camera mounted near a downtown nightclub caught the 2009 beating by police of Michael DeHererra and led to the dismissal of two police officers in March.
“Based on concerns raised about the pattern of abuse in our law enforcement community, this is a great first step,” Ulibarri said of the body cameras.
At least during the trial period, the officers testing the technology will decide when to activate their cameras. If police adopt the devices, protocols could be designed that would remove -discretion from officers and specify when they must turn on their camera.
The increased use of technology to monitor police interactions raises concern among some privacy advocates.
“This sort of recording is a -double-edged sword,” said John Verdi, senior counsel at the Washington-based Electronic Privacy Information Center.
In domestic-violence cases, for example, victims sometimes tell police where they will be staying and offer other information that their assailant shouldn’t have, Verdi said.
Such videos could fall into the hands of an assailant or his or her lawyer and result in further victimization, Verdi said.
Police have been discussing how to protect the videos with the city attorney’s and district attorney’s offices, Murray said.
However, that policy isn’t finalized, said Mary Dulacki, records coordinator for the manager of safety’s office.
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