D.C. City Council Reflects on the Use of Police Body Cameras

Today the D.C. City Council held a public roundtable on Five Years of the Metropolitan Police Department's Body-Worn Camera Program: Reflections and Next Steps. In 2015, EPIC testified before the D.C. City Council regarding police body-worn cameras. EPIC warned of the surveillance risks of body cameras and argued there are more effective means to address police accountability. EPIC previously testified before the DC City Council in 2008, warning that "facial recognition that will make it possible to identify people in public places." EPIC also launched the Observing Surveillance project in 2003 to draw attention to the growing surveillance of DC residents by integrated camera systems. California has recently banned the use of police-worn body cameras.