Hundreds of millions in taxpayer dollars have been spent on what was sold as a revolution in transparency and accountability.
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The Big Story
Thu. Dec 14, 2023
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How Police Have Undermined the Promise of Body Cameras <[link removed]>
When body-worn cameras were introduced a decade ago, they seemed to hold the promise of a revolution. Once police officers knew they were being filmed, surely they would think twice about engaging in misconduct. And if they crossed the line, they would be held accountable: The public, no longer having to rely on official accounts, would know about wrongdoing. Police and civilian oversight agencies would be able to use footage to punish officers and improve training. In an outlay that would ultimately cost hundreds of millions of dollars, the technology represented the largest new investment in policing in a generation.
Yet without deeper changes, it was a fix bound to fall far short of those hopes. In every city, the police ostensibly report to mayors and other elected officials. But in practice, they have been given wide latitude <[link removed]> to run their departments as they wish and to police — and protect — themselves. And so as policymakers rushed to equip the police with cameras, they often failed to grapple with a fundamental question: Who would control the footage? Instead, they defaulted to leaving police departments, including New York’s, with the power to decide what is recorded, who can see it and when. In turn, departments across the country have routinely delayed releasing footage, released only partial or redacted video or refused to release it at all. They have frequently failed to discipline or fire officers when body cameras document abuse and have kept footage from the agencies charged with investigating police misconduct.
Read Our Investigation <[link removed]>
The NYPD Files
The NYPD Denied Our Request for Body Camera Footage of a “Friendly Fire” Killing. Here’s How We Got It Anyway. <[link removed]> Turning over the videos of police shooting at their fellow officer would “constitute an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy,” said the NYPD about why it refused to make the footage available to a reporter. by Mike Hayes for ProPublica <[link removed]>
NYPD “Friendly Fire” Killed an Officer. Investigators Seemed to Ignore Video of Police Being Commanded to “Stop Shooting.” <[link removed]> After pledging a “thorough” investigation, the NYPD cleared the officers involved in the 2019 shooting. But new records show that investigators allowed police misstatements to stand, despite having body-camera video to disprove them. by Mike Hayes for ProPublica <[link removed]>
Video Showed an Officer Trying to Stop His Partner From Killing a Man. Now We Know Police Investigators Never Even Asked About the Footage. <[link removed]> We obtained the NYPD’s full investigation into the killing of Kawaski Trawick, including documents and audio of interviews with the officers. The records provide a rare window into how exactly a police department examines its own after a shooting. by Mike Hayes for ProPublica, and Eric Umansky <[link removed]>
Judge Says NYPD Illegally Withheld Footage in Police Shootings <[link removed]> A New York state judge said the NYPD was operating in “bad faith” when it denied requests to release body-worn camera footage from the killing of Kawaski Trawick. by Eric Umansky <[link removed]>
“City Hall Put the Kibosh on That”: The Inside Story of How de Blasio Promised, Then Thwarted NYPD Accountability <[link removed]> Bill de Blasio once pledged powerful oversight of the police. Then he became mayor. Insiders reveal what happened next. by Eric Umansky and Jake Pearson <[link removed]>
More From Our Newsroom
Mayors Are Presiding Over Their Town Courts Despite Guidance Saying They Shouldn’t. A Lawmaker Calls for Reform. <[link removed]> We found more than a dozen places in Louisiana where the mayor sat on the bench of a court that pulled in a sizable share of the town’s revenue. The state says this arrangement could be unfair to defendants. by Samantha Sunne, Dannah Sauer and Lee Zurik, WVUE-TV <[link removed]>
Knoxville’s Juvenile Detention Center Says Hundreds of Seclusions Were “Voluntary.” Some Kids Don’t See It That Way. <[link removed]> Tennessee says the Richard L. Bean Juvenile Service Center is improving when it comes to illegally secluding kids alone in cells. The facility says its lockups comply with the law, but new reporting suggests otherwise. by Paige Pfleger, WPLN/Nashville Public Radio <[link removed]>
Michigan Enacts Laws to Reform Its Juvenile Justice System <[link removed]> In the aftermath of revelations from ProPublica, a government task force pushed for changes. New laws aim to keep low-level offenses out of court, provide more resources to young offenders and eliminate fines. by Jodi S. Cohen <[link removed]>
Idaho Keeps Some Psychiatric Patients in Prison, Ignoring Decades of Warnings About the Practice <[link removed]> A temporary program for “dangerously mentally ill” patients has continued for five decades, despite calls from critics to provide better care. Soon, Idaho will be the only state still using prisons to house patients who face no criminal charges. by Audrey Dutton <[link removed]>
“Unacceptable”: Senators Call on GAO to Probe FDA’s Oversight of Medical Devices, Citing Series on Philips CPAP Recall <[link removed]> Sens. Dick Durbin and Richard Blumenthal sent a letter noting how the agency missed opportunities to protect the public from faulty medical devices, citing reporting by ProPublica and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. by Jonathan D. Salant, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette; Debbie Cenziper, ProPublica; and Michael D. Sallah, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette <[link removed]>
The Judiciary Has Policed Itself for Decades. It Doesn’t Work. <[link removed]> The secretive Judicial Conference is tasked with self-governance. The group, led by the Supreme Court’s chief justice, has spent decades preserving perks, defending judges and thwarting outside oversight. by Brett Murphy and Kirsten Berg <[link removed]>
Representatives Propose Ban on Insurers Charging Doctors a Fee to Be Paid Electronically <[link removed]> After a ProPublica investigation examined how giant insurers and their intermediaries are imposing fees on doctors and hospitals for electronic payment, a bipartisan group of lawmakers has introduced a bill to end the practice. by Cezary Podkul <[link removed]>
Thousands of Patients May Be Undergoing Vascular Procedures Too Soon or Unnecessarily <[link removed]> A new analysis of Medicare claims by ProPublica and CareSet found that atherectomies, a procedure to treat vascular disease, were performed on about 30,000 patients who had questionable need for them. by Annie Waldman, ProPublica, with data analysis by Alma Trotter and Fred Trotter, CareSet <[link removed]>
This Researcher Warned of Unnecessary, Risky Vascular Procedures. She Was Called a “Nazi” and Accused of “Fratricide.” <[link removed]> After Dr. Caitlin Hicks and her team revealed that some doctors appeared to be overusing lucrative vascular procedures, performing them on patients who may not have needed them, they received hostile pushback from across the profession. by Annie Waldman <[link removed]>
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