Body-Worn Cameras Coming For US Park Police: New Chief

WASHINGTON, DC — As one of her first actions as the new chief of the U.S. Park Police, Pamela A. Smith said Thursday she would be establishing a body-worn camera program for USPP officers.

“Body-worn cameras are good for the public and good for our officers, which is why I am prioritizing implementing a body-worn camera program within my first 90 days,” Smith said, in a release. “This is one of the many steps we must take to continue to build trust and credibility with the public we have been entrusted to serve.”

Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA), who represents Alexandria and Arlington in Congress, praised Smith's announcement, saying that it was a long overdue measure that would improve trust among the communities Park Police officers patrol.

Beyer had called for the department to implement body-worn cameras following the fatal shooting of Bijan Ghaisar, an accountant from McLean,

Ghaisar, 25, was fatally shot during a pursuit down the George Washington Memorial Parkway on Nov. 17, 2017. The pursuit began after he fled from a hit-and-run in the City of Alexandria in which his car was struck in a left-turn lane. Police cruiser video released by Fairfax County Police shows Park Police stopped his car several times during the pursuit. In these encounters, two officers approached Ghaisar's car with weapons drawn before Ghaisar drove away. When Ghaisar stopped at Fort Hunt Road and Alexandria Avenue in Fort Hunt, the video shows two officers fired nine shots at him while he tried to drive away.

“The swiftness with which this change was made after over three years of advocacy following the killing of Bijan Ghaisar suggests that it could have happened much sooner," Beyer said, in a release. "Why did years of struggle by the Ghaisars, community activists, Congresswoman Norton and myself, Senators from both parties, the Natural Resources Committee under Chairman Grijalva, and ultimately the passage of legislation in Congress not motivate the Park Police to do this sooner?"

Following Ghaisar’s killing, Beyer and Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) drafted legislation requiring all federal officers to adopt body-worn cameras.

“The delay points to the importance of leadership that prioritizes reforms to improve policing," Beyer said. "I commend Chief Smith and National Park Service leadership for finally making this happen, and I hope it heralds a larger commitment to transparency and reform for federal police. There is more still to do.”

Smith, a 23-year veteran of the USSP is the first Black woman to lead the agency. She will assume her new role on Feb. 28.