At least 1,201 people were killed in 2022 by law enforcement officers, about 100 deaths a month, according to Mapping Police Violence, a nonprofit research group that tracks police killings. ProPublica examined the 101 deaths that occurred in June 2022, a time frame chosen because enough time had elapsed that investigations could reasonably be expected to have concluded. The cases involved 131 law enforcement agencies in 34 states.
In 79 of those deaths, ProPublica confirmed that body-worn camera video exists. But more than a year later, authorities or victims’ families had released the footage of only 33 incidents.
Philadelphia signed a $12.5 million contract in 2017 to equip its entire police force with cameras. Since then, at least 27 people have been killed by Philadelphia police, according to Mapping Police Violence, but in only two cases has body-camera video been released to the public.
ProPublica’s review shows that withholding body-worn camera footage from the public has become so entrenched in some cities that even pleas from victims’ families don’t serve to shake the video loose.
I understand the privacy angle, but the rest of this is incredibly short-sighted. Sticking this footage in a black hole means nobody can ever witness it without having the funds to hire an attorney and sue the agency in court. Supervisors can’t see it, political leaders can’t see it, the press can’t see it, the victims can’t see it.
What’s the point of having bodycams at that point? Believe me when I tell you that the type of person who typically gets brutalized by cops isn’t the type to have five or six figures of disposable income to spend on an attorney and trial.
Also don’t forget that these are government employees paid by our tax dollars. We have the right to hold them accountable as public servants. It shouldn’t take being wealthy just to reach step one of the process.