New Police Recruit May Have Lost Important Body Cam Footage, Manager Says

By D.C. Witness Staff - October 21, 2019
Court | Daily Stories | Homicides | Suspects | Victims |

A manager of the Metropolitan Police Department’s body worn camera program said a murder case’s investigation was not placed in the correct category by a new recruit.

Deon Crowell, 50, is charged with first-degree murder while armed for allegedly stabbing Joni Rockingham, 53, on Dec. 12, 2017. Rockingham’s body was found on the 3300 block of 34th Street, NE. According to court documents, she was last seen on the 3300 block of Ames Street, NE.

According to the manager, the recordings that are specific to Crowell’s case were deleted because they were incorrectly categorized. The footage was placed under the incident, no arrest category instead of the murder/manslaughter category.

Footage placed under the incident, no arrest category is deleted after 90 days for privacy concerns, the manager said. Footage placed under the murder/manslaughter category is not deleted until after 65 years.

The manager said training for the entire Body Worn Camera Program (BWC), which also includes uploading footage, only required officers to watch a video. The manager, who is a civilian employee, said an assessment is not given to officers after watching the video.

According to a general order of BWC, officers are trained from footage of previous recordings that serve as guidance on how to handle particular incidents or events, constructive feedback and discussion of tactical decision-making and/or to improve officer safety.

“The use of BWC is woven into the Metropolitan Police Department Academy so they become very accustomed to the Body Worn Camera Program throughout their entire 28-week program,” Alaina Gertz, a spokesperson for MPD, told D.C. Witness in response to new recruit training.

Defense attorney Elizabeth Weller filed a motion in August requesting that DC Superior Court Judge Danya Dayson suppress key evidence after she learned that body camera footage of the investigation into Crowell had been deleted.

The motion alleges that 145 files, totaling approximately 25 hours of body camera footage, were deleted. Weller said her case is more difficult to investigate because she does not have the video.

She specifically requested that Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officers testimonies be suppressed since their testimonies could not be challenged with video evidence. Weller also requested that DNA evidence be suppressed since she could not verify that it was handled properly.

The motions hearing is scheduled to continue on Nov. 26 with testimony from the case’s lead detective.