Peduto says cities should be permitted to release police camera footage

Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto is calling for a change in state law to permit the immediate release of police camera footage to the public following critical incidents.

Peduto on Friday said cities must exhibit more transparency and accountability for police actions as they face increasing pressure to enact far-ranging reforms following the death of George Floyd while in the custody of Minneapolis police. He said officials should be able to share officer-worn camera footage with the public as soon as possible.

“This is allowed in many states across the nation and should be here as well,” the mayor said in a statement. “Body-worn cameras are known to protect both the public and police by providing unfiltered checks on community/police interactions. Pittsburgh and other cities in the commonwealth must be given the flexibility to quickly release such footage in designated situations in compliance with applicable law.”

Robert Swartzwelder, president of Fraternal Order of Police Fort Pitt Lodge 1, said raw camera footage provides an incomplete snapshot of events and could represent a false narrative.

“Not everything captured by the camera is physically seen by the officer,” he said. “The only thing that we know is true is that the camera captured it, but not that the officer actually saw it. It’s an investigative tool, but you need to complete the investigation to provide context to the camera footage. Releasing it prematurely without context will create more problems than a complete investigation may determine.”

The city has outfitted its 900 police officers with cameras they are required to wear while on duty, but existing Pennsylvania law in most instances prohibits the immediate release of footage to the public, according to Peduto spokesman Tim McNulty.

Pittsburgh in 2019 spent more than $10 million on new cameras.