Press Call Tuesday: Police Body Camera Programs in 50 Cities Evaluated for Civil Rights Safeguards

Media 07.29.16

WASHINGTON – On Tuesday, August 2 at 10:30 a.m. ET, The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights and Upturn will host a press call briefing to release an updated scorecard evaluating the civil rights safeguards of body worn camera policies. An initial scorecard evaluating 25 programs was released in November 2015 and is available at https://www.bwcscorecard.org/. This new edition updates the policies of those original 25 police departments and expands to include 50 cities, including the nation’s largest police departments with body worn camera programs, programs that have received significant funding from the Department of Justice, and programs in cities that have been under scrutiny due to high profile incidents of police violence. 

The scorecard uses eight criteria derived from the Civil Rights Principles on Body Worn Cameras signed by a broad coalition of civil rights, privacy, and media rights groups in May 2015. The scorecard evaluates whether each department:

  • Makes its policy publicly and readily available;
  • Limits officer discretion on when to record;
  • Addresses personal privacy concerns;
  • Prohibits officer pre-report viewing;
  • Limits retention of footage;
  • Protects footage against tampering and misuse;
  • Makes footage available to individuals filing complaints; and
  • Limits the use of biometric technologies.

Departments in this edition of the scorecard include: Albuquerque, Aurora, Austin, Baltimore, Baltimore County, Baton Rouge, Boston, Charlotte-Mecklenburg, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Fairfax County, Fayetteville, Ferguson, Fort Worth, Fresno, Houston, Las Vegas, Long Beach, Louisville, Los Angeles, Memphis, Miami, Miami-Dade, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Montgomery County, New Orleans, New York, Oakland, Oklahoma City, Omaha, Parker (CO), Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Rochester, Salt Lake City, San Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose, Seattle, St. Louis, Tampa, Tucson, and Washington DC.

To receive an embargoed copy of the scorecard in advance of the call, RSVP to [email protected].

WHEN: Tuesday, August 2 at 10:30 a.m. ET

WHO:

  • Wade Henderson, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights
  • Sakira Cook, policy counsel at The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights
  • Harlan Yu, principal at Upturn

DIAL-IN INFORMATION: Dial-in: 877-876-9176. Verbal Passcode: “Camera” RSVP to [email protected] to request an embargoed copy of the scorecard.

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