New York City suspends body cameras for corrections officers after device catches fire

The New York City Department of Corrections is temporarily suspending the use of body-worn cameras after an employee suffered burns and smoke inhalation last week when hers suddenly caught fire.

The Rikers Island corrections officer, a captain who has not been identified, was rushed to Mount Sinai on Friday when his body camera caught fire. The Department of Corrections said it was in contact with the camera manufacturer to investigate the cause of the fire.

Corrections Commissioner Lynelle Maginley-Liddie said in a statement that her thoughts were with the injured officer.

“The safety of our staff is paramount, which is why I am taking all body-worn cameras out of service as a precaution while we investigate how and why this incident occurred,” said Maginley-Liddie.

While this is a first for the Department of Corrections, it is at least the second time since 2018 that a New York City police officer has seen a body camera catch fire.

The NYPD suspended the use of the Vievu model LE-5 body-worn camera in 2018 after an officer discovered his was smoking. According to NBC New York, the camera exploded shortly after the officer removed it from his body and no injuries were reported.

A similar incident occurred with Axon AB2 model cameras in 2021, when a police officer also removed the camera when it began to smoke. Axon confirmed at the time that it was investigating after the device reportedly overheated, NBC New York reported.

NBC News reached out to the manufacturer of the device used by the corrections officer, but the company did not immediately return a request for comment.