The City of New York announced late last month that it would ramp up the rollout of its police body cameras with the goal of equipping all patrol officers with such equipment by the end of 2018. Based on results from LA and other large metropolitan areas around the country, the presence of a police body camera is likely to reduce the instances of excessive force in New York City. Victims of police brutality will now having video evidence and should go a long way toward proving that officers went too far.
Until now many instances of police brutality in New York City have been hard to prove. It’s often the word of the officer against the word of the victim. That’s not good if the victim has a criminal record and the officer’s work history is spotless. Indeed, excessive force and brutality cases hinge on credibility and concrete evidence and having that “smoking gun” available will help victims win financial awards for the pain, suffering, and humiliation they have endured.
While cellphones have greatly increased the amount of video evidence collected by victims and bystanders in recent cases of excessive force in New York City, having mandatory body cameras on every single police officer is a tremendous boost to civil rights within the city.
However, even this commitment from the NYPD won’t completely eliminate claims of excessive force. Indeed, body cameras are just one tool in the fight for a New Yorker’s civil rights and, like any tool, body cameras are not fool proof.
Indeed, there have been many instances across the country where officers have been accused of excessive force or police brutality in which the body camera they were supposed to be wearing was either turned off, “malfunctioning,” or left inside the patrol vehicle.
If you’ve been falsely arrested, injured while being arrested or assaulted by correction officers in the correctional system, you need an experienced excessive force lawyer in New York City on your side.
Contact The Law Offices of Nussin S. Fogel right now. Call 800-734-9338 or 212-385-1122.