Did you know that the American Bar Association has a Task Force on Law Enforcement Body Camera? It does, and the ABA recently appointed city of Austin Police Monitor Margo Frasier to it. Frasier, who has more than 35 years of criminal justice experience, will help identify best practices and policies for the use of body cameras. She will join members of law enforcement, government, state prosecutors’ offices, public and private criminal practice, academia, civil liberties groups and other legal arenas. According to a press release, “The task force is expected to present preliminary findings and recommendations to the American Bar Association’s policymaking body, the House of Delegates, in August 2016.” The city of Austin has discussed body cameras, and though there is no implementation schedule yet, purchase and usage of body cameras are part of the budget talks that are set to wrap up next week.
Elizabeth Pagano is the editor of the Austin Monitor. More by Elizabeth Pagano