L.A. Police Commission President Calls for On-Body Video

September 12, 2013 |

In his opening remarks as the new Los Angeles Police Commission president, Steve Soboroff called for mandatory on-body video cameras to record controversial encounters between LAPD officers and subjects.

Soboroff said the on-body systems should be in place within 18 months and said he could convince private donors to buy the cameras for the agency, reports the Los Angeles Times.

Soboroff, a wealthy businessman and former mayoral candidate, said he will take a much more aggressive approach to his role as president of the commission, which has been reconstituted since the election of Mayor Eric Garcetti in May.

Garcetti retained only one of former Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's commissioners, Robert Saltzman. New appointees include Paula Madison, a former journalist and media executive; Kathleen Kim, a law professor; and Sandra Figueroa-Villa, the executive director of a nonprofit community group.

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Comments (8)

Displaying 1 - 8 of 8
mike @ 9/13/2013 5:25 PM Why doesn't the rich and entitled Soboroff wear one of these intrusive cameras during all of his business dealings to ensure that he isn't cheating Uncle Sam out of tax revenue.
richard l isaacs @ 9/13/2013 7:18 PM LAPD OFFICERS, WHY DO YOU TAKE THE CRAP COMING DOWN FROM SACRAMENTO AND YOUR OWN COMMISSION. YOUR SOME OF THE BEST REAINED OFFICERS IN THE WORLD. HUNDREDS OF DEPTS ACCROSS THE COUNTRY WOULD BE HAPPY TO WELCOME YOU ON BOARD. LEAVE LA TO THE FRUITS AND NUTS THAT LIVE THERE AND RUN THE GANG RIDDEN CITY.
Charlie Blalock @ 9/14/2013 11:09 AM How about slapping a camera on the commissioners and send them on a few domestic disturbance calls or to a meth lab or two. So easy to sit in safety and judge those on the front lines. If you want to learn about what we have to deal with get up off your officious asses and get involved!
mike @ 9/15/2013 11:26 AM HOLY COW, the public is now SUBJECTS !!! I don't like your F****** attitude, I am a citizen, not a FUCKING SUBJECT... this is not nazi Germany, nor communist Soviet union, I AM NOT YOUR SUBJECT, nor SERVANT !!!
Just he Facts @ 9/16/2013 5:20 AM HOLY COW MIKE! Everyone is a SUBJECT not a SUSPECT? If you knew anything about Law Enforcement they use subject as an every day term. Not disrespectful, degrading or demeaning in any way. And by the way, they never said "YOUR SUBJECT" you did?
Arby @ 9/16/2013 11:13 AM Wow! I'm not used to such vitriolic remarks about the police wearing body cameras to record encounters. The percentage of times these cameras work against the officer is so small. Other than saying something they shouldn't say, or maybe the way its said, in every case I've investigated where a police video was available (dash-cam, body-cam, etc.), it CLEARED the officer(s) of whatever the actual complaint was about. Sure, knowing its "on" helps the officers keep their own emotions in check, but what's wrong with that? In some cases, the videos have resulted in the complaining citizen being arrested for filing a false complaint/police report. And "Mike," "Just the Facts" is right. "Subject" is how police frequently refer to people who do not fit neatly into the categories of "victim," "witness" or "suspect." It has nothing to do with the feudal term "subject," meaning someone who was subject to a monarch's authority.
Ima Leprechaun @ 9/19/2013 10:25 AM I can't wait to see all the peeing and craping videos that will be a big part of these "Big Brother" videos. And passing gas will now be heard around the world. This will be fun.
A friend on police all ov @ 10/3/2013 12:26 PM we live in an ever growing diversified society where different cultures, backgrounds, ethnicities, and education or non education exist. The Officer is subject to all these conditions and more, they are held to the highest degree of professionalism and for the most part we can count on our officers to deliver, but remember this is not a perfect world, so enter the human factor, enter the long extended hours an officer works when involved in an arrest in reporting, identifying, transporting, booking, and securing and booking of any evidence. Further more how about the court hours he must be responsible for, to attend or if not he will be subject to disciplinary action from his supervisor, not to mention their already extended over time banks averaging over 500 hours. Pay some of these officers their worth before you question their worth with cameras, thank you and God Bless our men and woman fighting crime.

Displaying 1 - 8 of 8

mike @ 9/13/2013 5:25 PM

Why doesn't the rich and entitled Soboroff wear one of these intrusive cameras during all of his business dealings to ensure that he isn't cheating Uncle Sam out of tax revenue.

richard l isaacs @ 9/13/2013 7:18 PM

LAPD OFFICERS, WHY DO YOU TAKE THE CRAP COMING DOWN FROM SACRAMENTO AND YOUR OWN COMMISSION. YOUR SOME OF THE BEST REAINED OFFICERS IN THE WORLD. HUNDREDS OF DEPTS ACCROSS THE COUNTRY WOULD BE HAPPY TO WELCOME YOU ON BOARD. LEAVE LA TO THE FRUITS AND NUTS THAT LIVE THERE AND RUN THE GANG RIDDEN CITY.

Charlie Blalock @ 9/14/2013 11:09 AM

How about slapping a camera on the commissioners and send them on a few domestic disturbance calls or to a meth lab or two. So easy to sit in safety and judge those on the front lines. If you want to learn about what we have to deal with get up off your officious asses and get involved!

mike @ 9/15/2013 11:26 AM

HOLY COW, the public is now SUBJECTS !!! I don't like your F****** attitude, I am a citizen, not a FUCKING SUBJECT... this is not nazi Germany, nor communist Soviet union, I AM NOT YOUR SUBJECT, nor SERVANT !!!

Just he Facts @ 9/16/2013 5:20 AM

HOLY COW MIKE! Everyone is a SUBJECT not a SUSPECT? If you knew anything about Law Enforcement they use subject as an every day term. Not disrespectful, degrading or demeaning in any way. And by the way, they never said "YOUR SUBJECT" you did?

Arby @ 9/16/2013 11:13 AM

Wow! I'm not used to such vitriolic remarks about the police wearing body cameras to record encounters. The percentage of times these cameras work against the officer is so small. Other than saying something they shouldn't say, or maybe the way its said, in every case I've investigated where a police video was available (dash-cam, body-cam, etc.), it CLEARED the officer(s) of whatever the actual complaint was about. Sure, knowing its "on" helps the officers keep their own emotions in check, but what's wrong with that? In some cases, the videos have resulted in the complaining citizen being arrested for filing a false complaint/police report. And "Mike," "Just the Facts" is right. "Subject" is how police frequently refer to people who do not fit neatly into the categories of "victim," "witness" or "suspect." It has nothing to do with the feudal term "subject," meaning someone who was subject to a monarch's authority.

Ima Leprechaun @ 9/19/2013 10:25 AM

I can't wait to see all the peeing and craping videos that will be a big part of these "Big Brother" videos. And passing gas will now be heard around the world. This will be fun.

A friend on police all ov @ 10/3/2013 12:26 PM

we live in an ever growing diversified society where different cultures, backgrounds, ethnicities, and education or non education exist. The Officer is subject to all these conditions and more, they are held to the highest degree of professionalism and for the most part we can count on our officers to deliver, but remember this is not a perfect world, so enter the human factor, enter the long extended hours an officer works when involved in an arrest in reporting, identifying, transporting, booking, and securing and booking of any evidence. Further more how about the court hours he must be responsible for, to attend or if not he will be subject to disciplinary action from his supervisor, not to mention their already extended over time banks averaging over 500 hours. Pay some of these officers their worth before you question their worth with cameras, thank you and God Bless our men and woman fighting crime.