Petition calls for police to wear on-body cameras
A Change.org petition is calling for NYPD mayor Bill de Blasio to require that police officers carry an on-body camera that records their interactions.
It’s deeply upsetting to watch a 43-year-old father of six say “I can’t breathe” over and over, but the officer doesn’t let go — even though officers are not allowed to use chokeholds. Eric’s death is part of a tremendous rise in racial profiling, unconstitutional searches, and violent forms of misconduct from some members of the NYPD.
There is a simple way to make a dramatic change in police misconduct: require officers to wear on-body cameras that record their interactions. I can’t help but think that if the officers involved with Eric were wearing on-body-cameras that they knew would later be reviewed by superiors, they would have acted much differently. Eric Garner might still be alive today.
Other police departments are using on-body cameras with amazing success. In the first year after the Rialto Police Department in California adopted the cameras in 2012, the number of complaints filed against officers fell by 88 percent compared with the last year. More importantly, the use of force by officers fell by almost 60 percent.
“On-body cameras protect communities from police misconduct, and they also protect the officers themselves from violence. This is a system that benefits everyone, and will help restore community trust in the NYPD,” the petition states.
Click here to view and sign the petition.
What do you think? Are on-body cameras the solution?
Sound off below!