The Los Angeles Board of Police Commissioners and police Chief Charlie Beck will announce plans Thursday for seeking community input on establishing policies for the release of body camera footage taken during critical incidents.
Input will be gathered in community forums around Los Angeles and through a questionnaire available online or on paper. The commissioners and Beck plan to announce more details at a news conference at 11 a.m. at the Police Administration Building.
The City Council approved a $59 million plan in June 2016 to equip Los Angeles Police Department officers with body cameras, and the department plans to issue the cameras to all patrol officers by the end of this year.
The department's current policy has been not to release any footage from the cameras except when for use in a trial or by order of a court.
"As we move forward with the final acquisition of body-worn cameras for all patrol officers to utilize by the end of this year, my fellow police commissioners and I want to provide the public the opportunity to participate by providing their perspectives and expectations,'' Police Commission President Matthew Johnson said.
Both Beck and Mayor Eric Garcetti supported the idea of all patrol officers wearing body cameras, but some groups critical of the department, including the American Civil Liberties Union, were opposed to the use of body cameras unless the public had access to the footage.
Barry Friedman, director of the Policing Project, is also scheduled to take part in the news conference.
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"We commend the L.A. Police Commission for its extraordinary initiative to solicit feedback from Los Angeles residents whose communities are being affected by this new technology," Friedman said. "We are honored to participate in this crucial conversation between the department and the public."
Learn more on the video policy here.
