People's privacy to be considered in police use of body cams during ops —PNP spox

Policemen will take into consideration the people’s privacy when it starts using body-worn cameras during operations, Philippine National Police (PNP) spokesperson Police Brigadier General Ronaldo Olay said Tuesday.

Interviewed on Unang Balita, Olay said PNP chief Police General Guillermo Eleazar already created a technical working group to study such concerns.

“Isa 'yan sa pinag-aaralan ng binuong technical working group ng ating Chief PNP General Eleazar para pag-aralan ng ang legal na aspeto sa paggamit ng body worn camera,” he said.

(That’s one of the concerns that the technical working group, created by PNP chief Police General Guillermo Eleazar, has been studying.)

In a statement, Eleazar said that mechanisms are in place for data management and privacy in the use of body-worn cameras.

“I assure the CHR that in the crafting and issuance of the Supreme Court’s guidelines on the use of body-worn cameras, data management and privacy were given primary  importance in our honorable Justices’ deliberations,” he said.

On Monday, the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) urged police to be mindful of privacy in its use of body cameras following the Supreme Court's approval of rules for using cameras in serving search and arrest warrants.

CHR spokesperson Jacqueline de Guia said the commission has “high hopes” that body cameras “will result in better transparency and accountability, and thus may improve public's trust in law enforcement legitimacy.”

“Law enforcement must remain mindful of the future challenges, especially on data management and privacy concerns, involving the use of the technology as this has been an unexplored area in our law enforcement and criminal justice system,” De Guia said.

The Supreme Court recently approved a resolution providing the rules for the mandatory use of body-worn cameras during the execution of search and arrest warrants.

The SC en banc has specified the guidelines under Administrative Matter 21-06-08-SC dated June 29, 2021.

Under the resolution, law enforcers must have at least one body-worn camera and one alternative recording device or such number needed to record the relevant incidents during the execution of search or arrest warrants.

In June, the PNP launched a body-worn camera system for the police to ensure transparency and legitimacy of law-enforcement operations.

Eleazar said that initially, a total of 2,696 units have been distributed to 171 police stations and offices.

He said the PNP needs 33,000 to 34,000 body-worn cameras to cover all the police units in the country, with each police station receiving 16 cameras.

Eleazar said some mayors and private individuals have expressed interest in providing the body-worn cameras as the PNP makes efforts to fill up its target number for these items. —KBK/BM, GMA News