Princeton Mayor Liz Lempert said police officers' names were "cleared" by a dash cam video of the professor's arrest Watch video
PRINCETON - A Princeton University professor's claims that she was mistreated by police during an arrest last month has prompted a town-wide change.
Body cameras could soon be worn by all Princeton Police officers as a way to document their every day interactions with the public, Princeton Mayor Liz Lempert said in a statement Friday.
The decision comes after Princeton University African American Studies professor Imani Perry was arrested last month for a warrant stemming from unpaid parking tickets. She claimed in a Facebook post that she was mistreated by police during the arrest.
In the post, Perry wrote, "The fact of my blackness is not incidental to this matter."
However a dashboard camera video of the incident, which was released by police, caused some to question Perry's allegations. The Mercer County Prosecutor's Office launched an investigation into Perry's claims but announced last month that they found no wrongdoing on the part of Princeton police. The office officially closed their investigation Thursday.
Investigation closed in professor's arrest
"This incident has been painful to all involved. Accusations of misconduct against our officers were published widely in the national media, followed by a rush to condemn," Lempert said Friday. She added that the video of the arrest, "proved essential to clearing their names."
The town waited until the investigation was officially closed to announce their plan to buy body cameras as a way to monitor and record police interactions.
"As part of our commitment to transparency, the municipality hopes to purchase body cameras for all of our officers and integrate that technology with our existing dash cameras," Lempert said.
She added that the town is currently looking into funding for the body cameras and policies that would, "address privacy concerns."
In December state officials promised a $2.5 million grant to 176 municipalities, including Princeton, to buy body cameras.
In the statement Friday, Lempert said that police acted appropriately but that the whole incident raised concerns about how warrants are used and issued in the state.
"We hope the state will reexamine the options it gives to municipal courts to enforce financial penalties and parking violations, and we plan to be part of those conversations with our elected state representatives," she said.
Anna Merriman may be reached at amerriman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @anna_merriman Find The Times of Trenton on Facebook.