San Francisco Police Commission Votes on Body Camera Viewing Policy

Members of the San Francisco Police Commission voted Wednesday in favor of a policy that would prevent officers from watching body-worn camera footage after a serious incident before writing up a report.

However, final decisions on viewing the footage will be left up to the chief, “an amendment that some at Wednesday’s meeting said could negate any progress made with the commission’s decision,” according to SFgate.com:

Several commissioners previously sided with the police department in saying that officers should be allowed to view footage before filing reports, even in critical incidents, because doing so would only ensure accurate and more thorough incident reports.

Law enforcement watchdog groups argued that officers should not be allowed to view the footage at all because at best, it could taint their recollections of events, and at worst, lead them to adjust their reports accordingly.

For more on the San Francisco Police Commission’s vote , please visit SFgate.com.