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SEARCH“The time for permanent use of on-officer cameras by all SPD officers is now,” the monitor, Merrick Bobb, writes in the fifth semiannual report since the city entered into a 2012 consent decree with the U.S. Justice Department to curtail excessive force and biased policing.
The federal monitor overseeing Seattle police reforms is endorsing the use of body cameras by officers, calling them a key tool for “accountability and transparency.”
“The time for permanent use of on-officer cameras by all SPD officers is now,” the monitor, Merrick Bobb, writes in the fifth semiannual report since the city entered into a 2012 consent decree with the U.S. Justice Department to curtail excessive force and biased policing.
His strong support for body cameras, contained in the 47-page report made public Monday, comes at a time then the department confirms that it plans to shift from a small pilot program to departmentwide use of the cameras by some 640 patrol officers, the Seattle Times reports.
While not a “silver bullet,” Bobb writes, studies show body cameras substantially reduce use of force and citizen complaints
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