Maplewood Police File Lawsuit Over Body Camera Policy
MAPLEWOOD, Minn. (AP) -- Police in a Twin Cities suburb are going to court over the city's body camera policy for officers.
The unions representing 38 officers and eight sergeants in Maplewood say parts of the policy should have been developed through collective bargaining instead of being imposed by the city.
The law approved last spring by the state Legislature requires police departments using the body cameras to adopt written policies governing when the devices should be activated and how the video should be managed.
Some officers are worried about too much exposure about the people they encounter, sometimes in private dwellings or during moments of vulnerability.
Minnesota Public Radio News says the lawsuit filed by Maplewood police objects to random audits of camera footage by supervisors. And they want input on a provision that prohibits officers from reviewing footage before giving a statement following a critical incident that results in severe harm or death.
"The union has demanded on a couple of occasions to bargain these two specific provisions with the city and the city has refused to do that to date," said Minneapolis attorney Timothy Louris, who is representing unions in the lawsuit filed Friday in Ramsey County.
"The bottom line is that these types of working conditions have to be bargained," he added. "They can't be unilaterally created and implemented by cities."
Maplewood Police Chief Paul Schnell did not immediately return a call for comment.
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