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Crime & Safety

NYPD to Begin Videotaping All Murder and Sex Assault Interrogations

The new program would increase police transparency, says NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly.

In an effort to curb crime and corruption in the city, not only will NYPD be watching the streets, they'll now be videotaping themselves interrogating suspects in murder and sexual assault cases, says the Wall Street Journal.

Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said on Wednesday that taping interrogations would "enhance public confidence in the criminal justice system by increasing transparency."

Through a pilot program last year, the NYPD began taping interrogations of only felony assault suspects in 48th Precinct in the Bronx and the 67th Precinct in Brooklyn. Last month, officials told the paper that the practice would need to be studied further before it included all 76 precincts and more crimes.

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Expanding the taping program in New York City would cost $3 million, which Kelly has requested from the nonprofit Police Foundation, though he did not say if a grant had been secured, or even what the timetable would be.

"We've secured a number of early pleas after turning over a video confession to the defendants' lawyers," Kelly said, according to the paper. "Based on this experience, we're ready to move forward with this practice in all of our commands."

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The news comes amidst mounting NYPD criticism over the civil rights implications of practices like stop-and-frisk and surveillance in Muslim communities.

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