NY state police lag behind agencies nationwide on camera use
Posted July 22, 2019 1:16 am.
ALBANY, N.Y. — A mainstay technology is missing among New York state troopers.
When used in other states, police cameras have uncovered officer misconduct, cleared authorities of wrongdoing and shifted the tide of public opinion in high-profile police shooting cases.
Yet even as the technology receives support from law enforcement experts, an Associated Press survey found that New York remains one of five states where the primary state law enforcement agency does not have dashboard cameras.
The New York State Police say they did have vehicles outfitted with cameras in the past but couldn’t afford to maintain or upgrade the equipment. They also don’t have body cameras.
Christopher Dunn, legal director of the New York Civil Liberties Union, says “it’s astonishing that the New York State Police have no video accountability.”
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Ryan Tarinelli is a corps member for Report for America, a non-profit organization that supports local news coverage in a partnership with The Associated Press for New York. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
Ryan Tarinelli, The Associated Press
