PBA president opposes use of body cameras

PBA president Patrick J. Lynch said:

“It is common knowledge that New York City is already saturated with video cameras.  Manhattan has its ring of steel.  The outer boroughs have traffic cameras and countless private and public security cameras located everywhere so there is simply no need to equip patrol officers with body cams.  Our members are already weighed down with equipment like escape hoods, mace, flashlights, memo books, asps, radio, handcuffs and the like.  Additional equipment becomes an encumbrance and a safety issue for those carrying it.  Given that the root cause of this stop and frisk problem is a significant shortage of police officers in local precincts, it seems to us that the monies spent on a bodycam pilot program would be better spent on hiring more police officers and providing them with extensive field training with an experienced officer.”