NYPD said the video was to be used for a social media post about local events.
There has been an uproar on social media over the police officer who filmed people leaving one of Drake's concerts at New York's Apollo Theater this weekend, raising concerns from privacy advocates about how the footage will be used.
The NYPD said the video would only be used for one social media post, but calls continued for the material to be deleted.
New York Times music editor Jon Caramanica tweeted Saturday night that New York City police were filming people leaving Drake's concert at the Apollo Theater and posted a video showing a police officer filming those leaving.
In a statement, the NYPD explained that the officer in question was a member of the local department's social media team and said he was filming a social media post about local events.
"The video will not be used for any other reason," he asserted.
However, the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project, a New York-based group that focuses on privacy and civil rights, called the video capture "highly troubling" and noted that attendees were being watched without their consent. He also demanded that the video be destroyed.
"This is yet another example of the NYPD's racist use of surveillance technology, continuing the department's long legacy of targeting rap concerts," STOP's Will Owen told Gothamist.
“We are deeply concerned that facial recognition technology may have been used and demand that the department destroy any footage it captured. This is the latest proof that the city and state need to ban its use in venues once and for all,” he continued.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams, for his part, defended the police department's decision, calling it a "creative" way to reach out to the local community.
"Well done to this great cop," Adams said of Tarik Sheppard, who is the commander of the 28th Precinct in New York City, according to Gothamist.
“And I encourage all of my commanders to be creative in how we interact with our residents. It was a safe event," he added.
