MINNEAPOLIS _ Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and Police Chief Medaria Arradondo on Sunday announced tighter rules for reviewing officer's body cameras.
The policy comes as the first in a series of new public safety policy reforms and is designed to better capture officers' perceptions at the time an officer acted.
The policy prevents Minneapolis officers involved in critical incidents, including those involving deadly force, from reviewing body camera footage before completing an initial police report for the incident.
In cases when an officer faces charges, it's essential to have a clear understanding of what the officer perceived, Frey said in a statement. The policy "will help ensure that investigators, attorneys, and jurors receive a transparent account of how an officer remembers the incident," he said.
Arradondo said the standards align with rules for civilians, who are not allowed to watch body camera footage in cases where they might be a suspect. The policies also clarify time requirements for reports and provide more clarity to supervisors about immediate on-scene communications.
The new policies will take effect on Tuesday.
