I believe that policies regarding camera use during protests in many cities were changed as a direct response of civil liberties complaints from organizations like the ACLU. People said they didn’t want police to use them for surveillance.
Source?
The new policy comes after Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan issued an executive order requiring the cameras to be used during demonstrations.
The Seattle Police Department has been outfitted with body-worn cameras since 2017 but a longstanding policy designed to protect the privacy of peaceful protestors prevented officers from using cameras during the demonstrations of the past two weeks.
That policy was written in consultation with civil rights groups, like the ACLU, that worry body cameras could make it easier for police to track and target protesters, particularly in communities of color that have a history of over-surveillance."
https://www.geekwire.com/2020/seattle-police-will-use-body-c...
https://www.cnet.com/news/police-body-cameras-at-protests-ra...
"Several major cities, including Seattle, Boston, New York and Minneapolis, have specific policies against police recording with body cameras at protests.
Protesters have long been worried about surveillance at demonstrations, the latest twist being police use of technology like facial recognition and social media monitoring to identify people in crowds. Using body cameras as surveillance tools at protests threaten people's privacy and could have a chilling effect on free speech."
https://www.cnet.com/news/police-body-cameras-at-protests-ra...