Suffolk officers fail to comply with body camera policies in increasing numbers, oversight report says

Suffolk police officers failed to comply with the department’s body camera protocols in more than half of the Internal Affairs Bureau investigations reviewed by the county’s Human Rights Commission, according to the latest oversight report released by the agency.

Officers did not comply with body camera policy in 179 of 336, or 53%, of Internal Affairs cases monitored by the HRC, according to the 2025-2026 Annual Civilian Police Oversight Report that was released in late July. That is more than double the 83 body camera policy infractions out of 268 Internal Affairs cases, or 31%, reviewed by HRC for its 2024-2025 report.

The most common infraction mentioned in the 2025-2026 report, which covers June 1, 2025, through May 31, 2026, involved officers turning off the audio function of their body-worn cameras, followed by cases in which body cameras were turned off or not activated. Those were also the most common compliance problems cited in the 2024-2025 report.

Suffolk police response

Suffolk police have increased oversight of body camera compliance, Commissioner Kevin Catalina said in a statement to Newsday on Friday.

"The department has expanded its own review of body-worn camera use and issued a technology change that now requires officers to physically hold the mute function which eliminates accidental failure to reactivate," Catalina said. "Issues identified through these reviews have also resulted in additional training and, when appropriate, discipline."

The HRC agreed with the conclusions of Internal Affairs in the vast majority — 92% — of the 228 cases reviewed for the latest report. The HRC agreed with Internal Affairs’ findings in 87% of the 261 cases it reviewed for its 2024-2025 report.

Lou Civello, the president of the Suffolk Police Benevolent Association, said that showed that his members were conducting themselves in a professional manner.

"Independent civilian reviewers agreed with Internal Affairs in more than 9 out of 10 cases, and exonerated findings were the most common outcome — meaning officers’ actions were legal, proper, and necessary, compliments are up and body worn cameras continue to give real transparency," Civello said in an email. "Out of tens of thousands of police interactions last year the report references only 179 cases where it alleges cameras weren't used properly. However the report lacks nuance and context. In many cases, it's not only appropriate to shut off a body cam but mandatory, in other cases technical issues and extenuating circumstances prevent their use."

Suffolk rolled out its body camera program in 2022, and Hempstead civil rights attorney Frederick K. Brewington, a member of Long Island Advocates for Police Accountability, said he did not believe the rise in infractions was due to officers still learning how to use the devices or glitches in the technology.

"If that were the case, it would have been fixed," Brewington said. "It’s more than double the actual number of incidents [in the 2024-2025 report]. First of all, it’s unacceptable, but it’s also unfair. Because in those situations, we know there’s value in trying to preserve the information, and when it’s not preserved, it’s got to raise concerns."

Added Brewington: "I think there has been an uptick because there has not been any transparency, there has not been any accountability, and as a result of that, a culture has formed that allows this type of abuse.''

Seeking information

LIAFPA filed Freedom of Information Law requests this year and in 2025 seeking information about body camera infractions, including disciplinary actions or training for officers who did not comply with the department’s protocol. Suffolk police still have not produced the requested documents, according to Brewington, who said his organization had been "stonewalled."

The Suffolk HRC, created in 1963 to investigate complaints of bias and enforce anti-discrimination laws, had collected police misconduct complaints and passed them along to the Internal Affairs Bureau for years. Its role expanded after former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo ordered New York communities to draft reform plans after George Floyd’s 2020 murder by Minneapolis police.

Under a 2021 agreement between the county and the Suffolk Police Benevolent Association, police officers received $1,000 for the first three years of the deal for agreeing to wear body cameras and other reforms, and $3,000 a year after that. Suffolk police officials, officers and union leaders have largely embraced body cameras since then, saying that the devices promote accountability and capture crucial crime scene evidence.

Suffolk police have also said body cameras were crucial in clearing officers falsely accused of misconduct or inappropriate behavior. 

Edward Friedland, who became the Human Rights Commission’s chairman in March, did not respond to multiple requests to discuss the report.

The latest report did find a "positive development." Internal Affairs investigators independently identified body camera violations in 18 investigations, "demonstrating a proactive approach to enforcing Department policy."