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January 30, 2018, New York – In response to the announcement by Mayor Bill de Blasio and Commissioner James O’Neill that the New York City Police Department will be speeding up the expansion of its body-worn-camera program before the court has evaluated the pilot program ordered in the landmark stop-and-frisk case, Floyd v. City of New York, lead Center for Constitutional Rights attorney in the case, Darius Charney, issued the following statement:
Why is the NYPD rushing to spend tens of millions of dollars to expand this program when the Floyd court-appointed Monitor has yet to complete his evaluation of the court-ordered body-worn camera pilot? There is no data or analysis yet on whether the cameras are improving officer behavior or the quality of police-civilian interactions. The whole purpose of the Floyd pilot is to use its results to inform decisions about whether or not to expand the body-worn-camera program. The NYPD decision today seems extremely premature.
The Center for Constitutional Rights works with communities under threat to fight for justice and liberation through litigation, advocacy, and strategic communications. Since 1966, the Center for Constitutional Rights has taken on oppressive systems of power, including structural racism, gender oppression, economic inequity, and governmental overreach. Learn more at ccrjustice.org.