The Department of the Interior of the Government of the United States announced that it will force all agents of the security forces to carry body cameras that film their actions and will allow the rapid publication of the videos recorded in serious incidents.
In a statement, said department reported the new internal regulations that it has approved for law enforcement agents with the intention of improving security, transparency and accountability and increasing trust with citizens.
These are clear guidelines that, among other things, oblige officers to always carry body cameras when on duty and, on the other hand, also restrict the use of unannounced searches.
The new rules have been developed by a task force appointed last year by Interior Secretary Deb Harland and led by Deputy Secretary Tommy Beaudreau.
According to Beaudreau, with the reform of police practices, an attempt is being made to strengthen the union between the security forces and the communities they serve.
INCIDENTS
Many of the incidents of police brutality in the United States were made public by videos recorded by citizens, as was the case of the murder of the African-American George Floyd in Minneapolis in May 2020, although there are many other cases that have been known thanks to the videos recorded by the body cameras of police officers.
An example is the death in March of this year of a thirteen-year-old teenager in Chicago, shot by police after a pursuit. The young man was unarmed and raised his hands before being shot, videos showed.
The new regulations include the mandatory use of a body camera for all agents who patrol or are in contact with citizens, minimum requirements to allow the publication of videos on incidents considered “serious” resulting in death or injured people.
On the other hand, officers are prohibited from pressing a suspect’s carotid artery to immobilize him unless there is authorization for a use of force that could lead to death.
Floyd died precisely by drowning, after his killer, agent Derek Chauvin, pressed his knee against his neck for more than nine minutes while trying to arrest him for having used a counterfeit bill to pay at a store.
Regarding the new rules for entering a home without prior notice and without judicial authorization, the Department of the Interior will only justify it when there is an “imminent threat of physical violence to the agent or to another person who has required help.
And any unannounced search or entry must be cleared by your first and second commanding supervisors and an assistant district attorney. EFE
