Sacramento police issue new directive on muting body cameras

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Associated Press


Kathleen Ronayne, Associated Press
Updated 5:53 pm, Tuesday, April 10, 2018

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Sacramento police have issued their first written policy on when officers can turn off body cameras after two officers muted their microphones following the fatal shooting of an unarmed black man in his grandparents' backyard.

Deputy Chief Ken Bernard discussed the new policy Monday at a meeting of the Community Police Review Commission after it was issued to officers last week.

Body camera footage of the killing of 22-year-old Stephon Clark reveals that two officers were told to mute their microphones several minutes after the shooting that sparked weeks of protests and calls for reform.

The new policy requires officers to verbalize their reason for turning off the microphone.

Read more: https://www.chron.com/news/crime/article/Sacramento-police-issue-new-directive-on-muting-12821737.php

[procon]

1. What would be a valid reason for turning off the microphone?

They didn't want anyone to hear the dying screams of the person they just shot?

Someone pleading for his life would make them look bad?

I dunno, I'd say that the mic and the camera should always be on because they aren't intended to be used as the means of giving cops a way to cover up their bad behavior.

[forgotmylogin]

2. The only reason to turn them off:

should be if the officer needs to use the restroom.

All other on-duty sound and video should be recorded.