Phoenix City Councilman Sal DiCiccio is an advocate for having body cameras on our police officers. The Councilman is hoping the City will address concerns before proceeding with the implementation of the program to ensure individual privacy.
This week, in a letter to constituents, the Councilman said that “it’s important to respect the liberties of our citizens while also supporting our police officers. This isn’t as simple as equipping our officers with body cameras. There are numerous policies the Phoenix City Council will need to clarify and put into place. I want to fully understand how we will deal with individual privacy, privacy of the public at large, and officer privacy. We should bring forward non-aligned groups, like the ACLU and the Goldwater Institute, to share their perspectives, especially since these groups have extensive experience with privacy protection issues.”
DiCiccio, as well as many of his constituents, are opposed to the government videotaping the daily activities that people participate in. Specifically, DiCiccio cited the fact that Arizona State University has police videotaping tailgaters. “This is unacceptable,” wrote DiCiccio. “We have a right to expect privacy from our own government.”
DiCiccio also expressed concern for the privacy of the officer. He believes that body cameras should not be used by officers when they are not performing law enforcement activities.