By Sally Goldenberg
The New York Post
NEW YORK — The NYPD will expand citywide its pilot program of videotaping the interrogations of many suspects, The Post has learned.
Police Commissioner Ray Kelly, in remarks prepared for a speech today at the Carnegie Council, says, “We believe there’s a growing expectation on the part of juries that interviews be recorded. Call it part of the ‘CSI’ effect.”
The crime show “has helped to fuel an assumption that these tools are a given in law enforcement. We want to continue to stay ahead of the curve with the help of our recording initiative.”
Officers have recorded about 300 interviews so far in the pilot program, which covers felony assaults in four precincts in Brooklyn and The Bronx.
“We’ve secured a number of early pleas after turning over a video confession to the defendants’ lawyers,” Kelly says.
The technology will be installed in the city’s 76 precincts, and videos will also be made in cases of murder and sex-crime suspects. The expansion will be funded by an expected $3 million grant from New York City Police Foundation.
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