James K. “Chips” Stewart

City’s own witness spurred cop cams

• By BRUCE GOLDING
• Last Updated: 3:30 AM, August 16, 2013
• Posted: 12:18 AM, August 16, 2013

EXCLUSIVE

The federal judge who slapped down stop-and-frisk got the idea to outfit NYPD cops with video cameras from an off-the-cuff remark that one of the city’s own expert witnesses made on the stand.

James K. “Chips” Stewart “inadvertently” mentioned the cameras when he testified as the city’s final witness in the case, Manhattan federal Judge Shira Scheindlin wrote in her order mandating reforms to the NYPD’s controversial crime-fighting program.

An official trial transcript shows that Stewart, a former director of the National Institute of Justice, brought up the subject of body-worn cameras out of the blue on the final day of the nine-week trial, with Scheindlin immediately asking Stewart what he thought of them.

'I think [body-worn cameras are] a good idea . . . But I have no opinion in this case with respect to bodyworn cameras.' — Expert witness James K. Stewart

“I think it’s a good idea,” Stewart answered, before quickly back-pedaling and adding, “But I have no opinion in this case with respect to body-worn cameras.”

Stewart testified under the terms of a $335,690 contract between his employer, the CNA Corp. consulting company, and the city Law Department.

Stewart told The Post yesterday that “inadvertently” was the “key word” in describing his mention of the cameras.

“What happened at the time was that I thought that was my best response to the judge,” he said.

Asked whether he regretted his slip of the tongue, Stewart said, “I might have rephrased it, but I just think it is what it is.”

Stewart, a retired chief of detectives in Oakland, Calif., testified that “departments a lot of times may not have the expertise and they may need some technical assistance, like body-worn cameras is an example, and how much technology and where you store the information and stuff like that.”