NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — The MTA on Thursday announced all Bridge and Tunnel officers will begin wearing body cameras next year, following a recommendation from the agency’s Inspector General.
MTA Inspector General Carolyn Pokorny, in an audit of transparency and accountability measures, said body cameras will prove useful when “emotions run high” between officers and the public.
While the officers are not considered police, they do carry guns and help to enforce traffic and safety laws at MTA crossings.
Most recently, the officers were deployed to prevent fare evasion on New York City buses.
"The goal of transparency is served every time an agency shares camera footage with the public, allowing community members to witness with their own eyes the actions police officers have taken," Pokorny said in her report.
The MTA is now pledging to develop a plan to equip all 400 Bridge and Tunnel officers with body cameras by the first quarter of 2022.
In a statement, Pokorny said she was “grateful” that MTA Bridge and Tunnel leadership is “embracing this review and my Office’s recommendations.”
The report examined officer behavior complaints between mid-2017 and mid-2020 to make recommendations on how to improve transparency issues.
The MTA Inspector General encourages all members of the public to reach out with tips, complaints or to report fraud at MTAIG.state.ny.us, by phone at 1-800-MTA-IG4U or by email at complaints@mtaig.org.
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