Baltimore police commissioner orders cops not to stage body cam footage

Enlarge (credit: Baltimore Police Department)

Baltimore Police Department Commissioner Kevin Davis ordered street officers not to "recreate" body cam footage in a Tuesday memo that follows a turbulent two weeks for the agency in which at least two body cam tapes have come to light showing officers staging crime scenes.

"In the event your body worn camera is not activated during the recovery of evidence, under no circumstances shall you attempt to recreate the recovery of evidence after re-activating your body worn camera," Davis' memo (PDF) said. "If you must deactivate your body worn camera during an incident, merely explain the reasoning on camera (e.g., to protect the identity of a witness who wishes to remain anonymous, etc.)."

The memorandum, first revealed by the Baltimore Sun, comes as Baltimore prosecutors are dropping at least 41 drug and gun cases connected to three Baltimore Police Department officers shown in a body cam video in which one of them is seen planting drug evidence. That officer, who apparently did not realize his body cam was recording, has been suspended. The other two have been assigned to administrative duty.

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