Renews Push for Body Cameras for Law Enforcement
Today, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), a former federal prosecutor who recently urged the Department of Justice to help fund local police departments’ purchase of small body-worn cameras in order to increase transparency, decrease tensions between police and community members, and create a record of events, released the following statement:
“Last night, following the decision of a grand jury not to indict the policeman who shot and killed Michael Brown, several buildings were set ablaze and violence again plagued the streets of Ferguson. Brown’s death and this new spate of violence has exposed anew the deep mistrust between many Americans, particularly those of color, and law enforcement.
“I join the family of Michael Brown, the Attorney General, and the President in calling for an end to the violence, and for calm and restraint, both by protestors and police. As the President said late last night, we are a nation of laws and the grand jury’s decision — whether we agree with it or disagree — was theirs to make.
“We cannot undo the past — we cannot bring Michael back, but we can create a better future for our children and make our streets safer for citizens and police alike. That will not be an easy task, but a good start would be committing to further diversify our police forces so they are more representative of the communities they police, and equipping officers with body cameras — cameras that may have put to rest the fevered speculation that has characterized this case, or better yet, avoided the deadly altercation altogether.
