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A hot demand in the police “reform” side of thing is to demand all law enforcement use body cameras. Body cameras aren’t a magic bullet. The police often don’t activate them, or disable them when the incident begins, and they have been known to try and tamper with the footage. Nonetheless today body cam footage can serve to contradict cop created versions of an incident. But who gets the footage and when? 2/8

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It may surprise readers to learn not all states release body came footage. Here’s a list with the 9 states with the most restrictive measures in place. https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/552665-9-states-with-some-of-the-strictest-rules-on-releasing-body-cam-videos/ And, an interactive body cam access map. https://www.rcfp.org/resources/bodycams/ 3/8

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In DC family members of those killed or harmed by the police often do not receive all footage from officers who recorded at the scene. They may not receive even the full footage of the primary officer despite the fact our legislation requires the release of footage. Advocates are asking that all footage, from all officers present be released. Multiple views of an incident provide important context. 4/8

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Here’s the DC Code on body cams. https://code.dccouncil.gov/us/dc/council/code/sections/5-116.33.html. I wasn’t able to find the name of the group specifically advocating but they were part of DC Justice Lab, https://dcjusticelab.org/ which tasks itself with helping to transform DC’s approach to public safety. 5/8

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Another group focusing on accountability is supporting proposed legislation to compensate folks held in pretrial detention. The Detention Compensation Act would provide reparations for those held pretrial without bond. Pretrial detention in DC can last for days, months or even more than a year. This mainly impacts the Black residents of DC, as whites are almost NEVER detained. 6/8

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Before COVID people detained for 131 days awaiting trial. Post COVID the period stretched to 214. During detention lives are severely disrupted. Detainees lose jobs and resources, and their families suffer collateral damage. The proposed legislation would compensate for lost wages and resources. The advocates are demanding DC Council introduce the act before the end of 2023. 7/8
*Ed: Spelling

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As you can see, working on transparency and accountability can produce some good, but remember these provisions rely on the state action, not only to enact but also to enforce. The body camera issue is a reminder that even when reform passes, the system will reset to minimize the benefit of reform.
Tomorrow, I’ll highlight some of the groups’ thinking on mental health. 8/8