Public Advocate James Calls For Body Cams On Police Officers
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Video cameras are mounted on sidewalks, inside buildings and nearly everywhere else, and now, city Public Advocate Letitia James has said she would like to see them on police officers.
As 1010 WINS' Sonia Rincon reported, James said the body cams can show when allegations of wrongdoing by police are real or made up.
She said outfitting the NYPD with the body cameras could save the city money.
"Thirty-two million dollars compared to $152 million in judgments that we pay out to individuals who file complaints against the City of New York," James said.
Both the NYPD and the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association said they are waiting for more information about the cameras before taking a position.
But PBA President Pat Lynch said the city could also discourage complaints and save money by fighting more of the complaints.
"The Public Advocate cites the $152 million that the city spends on lawsuits against police officers but what she fails to say is that the city refuses to fight even the most ridiculous and baseless of the claims. Instead, they settle these ridiculous suits when they should fight everyone one of them to conclusion which would effectively put an end to quick buck lawsuits against our officers," Lynch said in a statement.
James pointed to the city of Rialto, California, which she said saw an 88 percent drop in complaints against its police department after introducing body cams.
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