Manhattan: Your editorial “Body cam blackout” (May 15) got it
wrong. Neither the appellate judge’s ruling nor the existing law
governing the release of body-cam footage would “bury the videos
forever.” Instead, they will force the NYPD and City Hall to follow a
clear process before releasing the videos, one that protects the rights
of everybody involved. The current law allows a judge to release videos
after hearing from and considering the rights of all interested parties,
including both police officers’ safety and the public’s undeniable
right to privacy in many situations. Police video sometimes captures New
Yorkers’ most embarrassing or painful moments — should they or their
family be forced to relive those moments over and over?
The federal court ruling mandating the NYPD’s body-worn camera
pilot program said nothing whatsoever about the public release of
videos. But the NYPD and City Hall, in their rush to roll out the
cameras ahead of the federal monitor’s study, have treated the program
as a political and public relations tool, ignoring the law and
arbitrarily releasing videos to suit their own ends. Nobody should feel
comfortable with that approach, especially when a clear and fair process
already exists in law.
Patrick J. Lynch, president, Patrolmen’s Benevolent Assoc.
Patrick J. Lynch, president, Patrolmen’s Benevolent Assoc.
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