Orlando police chief proposes change to body camera audio recording policy

ORLANDO, Fla. — The Orlando police chief is looking at changing how much you can hear on an officer’s body camera video when they first respond to a crime.

Police chief Orlando Rolon said it’s all about the transparency the community wants. But the fraternal order of police said the change could be a legal issue for them.

The proposed changes come after an officer-involved shooting in February turned deadly. Union members said someone at the department thought if there was audio heard a few seconds before the shooting then they may have been able to tell sooner if the suspect shot first.

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The officers are still under investigation for killing a burglary suspect off Kirkman Road.

On those body cameras you can watch 60 seconds of pre-roll video but no audio. But Rolon said that should change.

The fraternal order of police said the change is unprecedented. And other departments said don’t to it because it opens up issues over privacy.

The FOP said they are all for transparency but worry about privacy concerns for officers.

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The department could allow the audio to be redacted if it is not part of the investigation, but even that raised issues.

FOP President Adam Krudo wrote in a letter to the chief, “the moment that person reviews the audio, it would no longer be private. The last thing any of us want is to implement a policy change that would discourage officers from responding to calls and/or turning on their cameras in a timely manner.”

The FOP sent another email to the chief offering other suggestions to make sure officers were not turning the camera on too late.

Video: Orlando Police respond to large spike in shootings compared to last year Police said this is what cities across the country are dealing with. (WFTV)