On Sunday, the New York City Department of Corrections announced that they will stop using body cameras temporarily. This decision comes after a body-worn camera caught fire while being used by an officer last week.
The department explained that a female officer suffered burns and smoke inhalation when her body camera, attached to her chest, unexpectedly caught fire on Friday.
Corrections Commissioner Lynelle Maginley-Liddie stated that they are focused on the injured captain and are removing all body-worn cameras from service as a precaution while they investigate the cause of the incident.
The officer went to the hospital but was not admitted. This was reported by The New York Post.The information was provided by a union official for corrections officers.
Since 2015, there have been nearly 3,500 body cameras in use by the Corrections department, and they described this incident as being completely unique.
The department stated that an inquiry into the cause of the camera's fire, involving communication with the manufacturer, will last one to two weeks.
The New York Police Department has halted the use of body cameras twice in the last six years due to similar safety concerns, once in 2018 when a camera caught on fire during use, and again in 2021 after a camera exploded. once in 2018 after one caught on fire while in use, and a second time in 2021 after a camera exploded.
