Video Cameras Urged to Monitor the Police
Civil rights groups are requesting that the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) place surveillance cameras in all police stations in order to protect suspects in custody from potential police abuse and to protect police from false allegations of abuse.
Groups supporting the idea include the ACLU of Southern California, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, and local community groups. The groups also urged police to speed up the process of installing surveillance cameras in police cruisers.
The LAPD already has a four-year, phased plan for implementing surveillance cameras in all of the department’s 1,200 patrol cars, at a cost of $25 million.
The Police Protective League, which represents police officers, has not said what its position is on placing cameras inside stations, but the group does favor cameras in patrol cars to protect officers from false allegations.
Abstracted by the National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center (NLECTC) from the Los Angeles Times (12/09/06); P. B1; McGreevy, Patrick; and Winton, Richard.
