The DEA abandons bodycams after only four years

"We welcome the addition of body-worn cameras and appreciate the enhanced transparency and assurance they provide," a then-DEA official wrote in a 2021 press release. So much for that. ProPublica published an investigative report on Tuesday that details how the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) under the Trump administration has abandoned its bodycam program. The DEA announced the change internally through an email, viewed by ProPublica. However, the agency never made a formal announcement or any public acknowledgment of its about-face. The DEA's email said it made the change to be "consistent" with Trump's "Initial Rescissions Of Harmful Executive Orders And Actions" order, signed on Inauguration Day. The action rescinded 78 Biden-era executive orders, including the one that expanded federal law enforcement's use of body cameras. ADVERTISEMENT Advertisement ProPublica notes that the "consistent" rationale for bailing on the program is questionable. Although Immigration and Cus ... Read full article.