Photo by Chris Rief aka Spodie Odie.
Support for an initiative that would require Metropolitan Police Department officers to wear body cameras is growing.
In a release, the D.C. branch of the NAACP says they’re planning to send a petition to Mayor Vince Gray, the D.C. Council, and MPD police chief Cathy Lanier asking that all MPD officers be required to wear body cameras. The NAACP says that a requirement for D.C. police to wear body cameras “is in response to a wave of incidents nationwide and in D.C. indicating police officers are using excessive, and sometimes deadly, force unnecessarily.”
The recent situation in Ferguson, Mo., wherein a police officer shot and killed an unarmed black teenager, has sparked national public outrage over police procedures and policy, both on a national and local scale. In May, the Police Complaints Board issued a recommendation to Gray, the Council, and Chief Lanier that the city should implement an on-body camera program, after a number of complaints allege misconduct among MPD officers.
Next month, Councilmember Tommy Wells (D-Ward 6) will hold a public oversight hearing to discuss police policies and procedures—including controversial “stop-and-frisk” policies—with the community. One of the things that will be discussed will be the possible implementation of a body camera program for MPD officers.
But the need for body cameras isn’t the only thing the NAACP is asking for. Their petition also “seeks to expand crisis intervention training program for MPD, amend the assault on a police officer statute, appoint residents to serve on an independent commission to investigate complaints, hold public hearings, prosecute complaints of assault by police officers, require Metropolitan Police Officers to reside in the District, incentivize college coursework for Metropolitan Police Officers, eliminate racial bias in policing and require psychological evaluations for Metropolitan Police Officers every three year.”
In a statement, NAACP President Akosua Ali said that “the NAACP supports MPD Officers wearing cameras to ensure transparency and accountability of misconduct by both police officers and citizens. These cameras will offer evidence supporting justice for victims of police misconduct and police officers also deserve proof against unjust claims of misconduct.”
