I spent 20 years in East Providence and retired as a captain. I’ve written after-action reports on calls I could describe in detail years later, and reports on calls where the first thing I wanted to know when it was over was whether I had actually done what I was sure I had done. Anyone who has been in one of those calls knows the difference.
Police body cameras are supposed to shed light. R.I. rules let officers keep footage in the dark.
That gap — between what an officer saw and what actually happened — is why I part company with the ACLU of Rhode Island’s testimony opposing proposed changes to police body-worn camera regulations now under consideration by the Rhode Island Department of Public Safety. The changes would allow a police officer to provide an unrecorded oral briefing to a supervisor, then be able to view their body-worn camera footage, and then give a formal audio or video recorded statement about what they remember about a use of force incident and perceived at the time it happened. Right now, officers are not permitted to view any camera footage until after making a recorded statement…