Malfunction may be exploited: NUPL concerned by ‘loopholes’ in rules for cops wearing body cameras

Loopholes in the Supreme Court’s (SC) rules in the use of body-worn cameras could be exploited by law enforcement, National Union of People’s Lawyers (NUPL) president Edre Olalia warned.

After the SC publicly released a copy of the rules, Olalia observed that “some provisions may unwittingly provide gaps, loopholes and opportunities for circumvention on the ground.”

Among these, the lawyer pointed out the rules are vulnerable to the failure of the use of the devices on “reasonable grounds” and the “non-liability in case of purported ignorance of malfunction.”

Olalia said the rules has “the very limited number of minimum mandatory recording devices to be used, leaving open-ended and to a subjective determination ‘such number as may be necessary to capture and record the relevant incidents during the execution’.”

He also cited “the non-specification of who among the whole team will actually wear such devices.”

Olalia also noted that the rules did not take into consideration the limited battery life of body-worn cameras.

Despite these, the lawyer hailed the SC for having come up with the rules which is in response to alleged abuses being committed by law enforcement during the serving of search and arrest warrants.

“At all events, the proof of the pudding is in the eating, so to speak, and we shall continue to actively cooperate, recommend and even call out as these welcome reforms are tested out there on the ground,” he said.

“After all, it is not only a matter of trust and presumptions, but ultimately a matter of experience,” he added.

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Source: Latest Politics News Today (Politics.com.ph)