Body Cameras For Roosevelt Island Public Safety Officers On Agenda For RIOC Operations Committee Meeting Today - Are Body Cameras A Good Idea?

The Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC) Operations Advisory Committee is meeting later today. The sole Agenda Item is a presentation on the use of body cameras for Public Safety Officers. According to RIOC

PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that a meeting of the Operations Advisory Committee of the RIOC Board of Directors will be held on Monday, March 11, 2013 at 4:30 p.m. at the RIOC administrative office, 591 Main Street, Roosevelt Island, New York.

Agenda:

1. Presentation from TASER on Axon Flex Body Cameras

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The Open Meetings Law of the State of New York requires that all public bodies conduct meetings, convened for the purpose of officially conducting public business, in a manner open to attendance by the general public to observe and listen.

More on the use of body cameras by Modesto California police officers in this video.



WNYC reported on the proposed use of body cameras by the Roosevelt Island Public Safety Department:

Roosevelt Island is planning to put body-mounted cameras on their public safety officers.

This follows an incident in January in which a 20-year-old man was allegedly beaten by the officers, and years of what residents say is excessive use of force by their public safety department....

and:

... But Eugene O’Donnell, a professor of police studies at John Jay College, says that what works for some police departments might not be the right solution for Roosevelt Island.

“Probably the only thing you’d be offering with a camera is a chance to stop gross abuses and misconduct rather than creating a culture where courtesy and service and professionalism were at the center of what was going on,” said O’Donnell. “So it’s sort of...in my view, the backward approach to a problem.”

O'Donnell says recruitment, training and oversight are the first things that need to be addressed for Roosevelt Island’s Public Safety Department....

Click here for the entire WNYC article and listen to report below.



More on Public Safety body cameras and brutality allegations from previous posts.

An audio web cast of the Operations Committee meeting will be available soon thereafter.

Following the Operations Committee meeting, the RIOC Audit Committee will meet. According to RIOC:

PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that a meeting of the Audit Committee of the RIOC Board of Directors will be held on Monday, March 11, 2013 at 5:30 p.m. at the RIOC administrative office, 591 Main Street, Roosevelt Island, New York.

AGENDA

1. Discuss Development of a Written Policy Governing the use of RIOC's Discretionary Funds
2. Any Other Committee Business Which May be Brought Before the Committee

An audio web cast of the Audit Committee meeting will be available soon thereafter.

UPDATE 9:30 PM -  According to Taser:

Testimony is Interesting. Video is Compelling.

Improves behavior of all parties during police interactions.

Reduces false complaints and lawsuits by accurately capturing video from the officer’s perspective.

Saves time and increases efficiency – officers spend more time on patrol with automated workflows that reduce administrative workload.

Pre-event video buffer yields the greatest reduction in complaints and lawsuits when actions leading up to the incidents are recorded.

Low light recording best shows what the human eye actually sees.

Enhances public trust and creates safer communities at a lower cost.

Below is the Roosevelt Island Body Camera presentation by Taser's Josh Isner to RIOC Operations Advisory Committee earlier today.

Part 1



and Part 2.

Roosevelt Island Public Safety Body and Facility Cameras On Agenda For RIOC February 25 Operations Committee Meeting - Nothing On Brutality Allegations In Public Session But Executive Session Agenda Item On Pending Litigation

The Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC) Operations Committee will be meeting next Monday. The Public Session is devoted to issues relating to the Public Safety Department but does not appear to include any specific reference to the issues brought forth at the February 16 Public Safety Accountability and Brutality Demonstration. An Executive Session (closed to the public) is scheduled for an update on pending litigation which presumably involves the alleged Anthony Jones/Public Safety brutality incident.

According to RIOC:

PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that a meeting of the Operations Advisory Committee of the RIOC Board of Directors will be held on Monday, February 25, 2013 at 5:30 p.m. at the RIOC administrative office, 591 Main Street, Roosevelt Island, New York.

Agenda:

1. Discussions of Public Safety Body-mount Cameras
2. Discussion of Facility Cameras in Public Areas of the Public Safety Office
3. Discussion of the Use of Outside Consultant for Public Safety Department Review
4. Chair's Motion for Executive Session for an Update on Pending Litigation
5. Any Other Committee Business That May be Brought Before the Committee

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The Open Meetings Law of the State of New York requires that all public bodies conduct meetings, convened for the purpose of officially conducting public business, in a manner open to attendance by the general public to observe and listen.

An audio web cast of the Operations Committee Public Session will be made available soon thereafter.

Public Safety security cameras were discussed during the February 13 RIOC Operations Committee meeting (full audio web cast of meeting here). Acting RIOC President Don Lewis said that the security camera project had previously been delayed because of:  

... prior issues ... different thoughts on to how to proceed with people internally...

and that now:

... getting cameras in the Public Safety Lobby was a priority so we have taken that as a priority over many other issues...

No discussion as to what were the "prior issues" and "different thoughts" that delayed the project referred to by Mr. Lewis.

RIOC intends to place security cameras in the Public Safety Office Lobby and across the street facing Public Safety Office.

Image of Public Safety Office From JEFF BACHNER/FOR NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

RIOC Director David Kraut asked if there were any internal cameras in the Public Safety Office and was told there were already 2 cameras in the cells. RIOC Director Margie Smith asked if they were "live" and was told the cameras have to be turned on. Ms. Smith asked why there were not always on and was told it was because of the amount of storage space required for the images from the camera feed.

Discussion then ensued regarding integrating the Public Safety Cell Cameras with the new system for the Lobby and facing the Office but in the meantime RIOC Director Michael Shinozaki made it clear that if someone is in the cell;

... I don't ever want to hear we didn't turn the cameras on...

Here's Part 1 of the discussion



and Part 2.

I asked whether the camera feeds in the Public Safety Office lobby, across the street facing the Public Safety Office and at the Roosevelt Island Tram could be made available live to the public. Mr. Shinozaki  and Mr. Kraut expressed interest in the idea but said further investigation would have to be made regarding privacy and technology issues raised by implementing such an idea.



UPDATE 2/25: According to RIOC:

Please be advised that the Operations Advisory Committee of the RIOC Board of Directors Meeting scheduled for Monday, February 25, 2013 at 5:30 p.m., will be held at the Manhattan Park Community Center at 8 River Road, Roosevelt Island, New York.

Sincerely,

Roosevelt Island Operating Corp Advisories Group

Perhaps RIOC anticipates a larger crowd for this Operations Committee meeting than can be accommodated in the 591 Main Street conference room.