The NYPD has changed its policy when it comes to releasing body camera footage from critical incidents.
Under the new guidelines, footage captured by officers' body-worn cameras must be released within 30 days of the incident, WPIX-TV reports. The policy change was announced Monday by Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Commissioner Jesscal Tisch.
Previously, the department did not have a set policy when it came to the release of bodycam footage connected to calls involving use of force by an officer that led to serious injury or death. Officers are required to activate their body cameras before taking any actions.
“Body-worn cameras provide clear and objective accounts of interactions involving the NYPD, showing the dangerous and difficult situations that officers often face while also ensuring we hold ourselves accountable when standards are not met,” Tisch said in a statement.
Nearly 30,000 NYPD officers wear body cameras. The represents the most by any department in the United States.
"Transparency and accountability are the building blocks of public safety," Mamdani said in a statement.
