New York City's police commissioner unveiled body cameras on Thursday that his department will start testing soon, demonstrating the equipment by playing a short video showing a notably good-natured traffic stop from an officer's perspective.
"I'm going to issue you a summons for that red light, OK?" the unseen officer can be heard politely telling the driver he has just pulled over. "Give me a second, OK?" the officer adds in a reassuring voice, which the driver appears to think is fair enough. "I'll be right back."
It is the sort of genteel encounter between an officer and a civilian that Bill Bratton, the city's police commissioner since January, said he hoped would become more common if both parties know they are being recorded.
Other departments already using the cameras have found they tend to bring out the best behavior on both sides and "de-escalate" encounters with police.