State troopers in New York will be required to wear body cameras by next April when they’re making an arrest, interacting with a member of the public, or carrying out other functions of law enforcement under legislation signed Tuesday by Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
Cuomo also approved a bill that will task the state Attorney General’s Office with reviewing the activities of law enforcement statewide and making recommendations for improvement.
Both bills were part of a sweeping package approved last week by the state Legislature to change how members of law enforcement do their jobs, and how they interact with the public, particularly communities of color.
The State Police had already planned to pilot the use of body cameras at some point this year, but the legislation signed Tuesday by Cuomo will require the force to implement the technology by next April at the latest, with a goal of phasing it in sooner.
The bill was sponsored by State Sen. Kevin Parker and Assemblymember Latrice Walker, who said the program could serve as a model for other states to implement.
"As one of the largest state police agencies in the country, the New York State Police should be one of the first agencies to set an example, to show others how to properly use body cams to deliver transparency and accountability to the public,” Walker said.
State troopers won’t be required to have their body cameras on all the time, but they’ll have to start recording during most encounters with the public. That includes arrests, traffic stops, property searches, and other situations where the trooper is on the job.
They’ll be able to stop recording while speaking to a confidential informant, during a strip search, or when a member of the public asks that the trooper not use the camera. The trooper would be allowed to continue recording at their discretion.
The second bill approved Tuesday will create a new office within the state Attorney General’s Office to study the activities of police agencies around he state and make recommendations for improvement.
The Law Enforcement Misconduct Investigative Office will look at how members of law enforcement could be more effective, while also preserving the civil liberties and civil rights of the public, including protections under the constitution.
The new law will allow the state Attorney General’s Office to investigate complaints of misconduct made against members of law enforcement, which have generally been handled exclusively by police agencies.
The measure was sponsored by Assemblymember Al Taylor and State Sen. Kevin Parker.
“The law enforcement misconduct investigative office will improve policies, practices and procedures by providing extra independent scrutiny to detect when our local police may be failing to address individual wrongdoing or systemic problem,” Parker said..
“ I hope, when full functional, it will be a preventive measure to the misconduct that plagues our police departments and restores the confidence of our communities.”
Police unions have largely been against the package of bills approved last week by the Legislature, which is controlled by Democrats. They’ve said the measures will endanger public safety by hindering the activities of law enforcement.
The union representing the state police has said in the past that they’re not against the concept of body cameras, but wanted it to be included in union talks.
