Many questions surround use of police body cameras
The topic of police use of body cameras while on duty is gathering a lot of interest in the wake of the events which recently occurred in Ferguson, Mo.
The Daily Register spoke to several area law enforcement departments to solicit more information on their use of these devices.
One of the first things local police officials brought up was the cost of the units. Unit price can range from $200 to $300 on up to nearly $2,000. Even with state or federal grants for the purchase there is still a question of affordability for local departments. An associated cost is the fee for "data storage" for each unit. The data or videos from the cameras is another issue. Individuals having access to the information and length of required storage are just a several of the obvious questions.
"There is a whole range of policy questions that have to be decided," Saline County Sheriff Keith Brown said. "When does the camera get turned on? What would the policy be? Suppose the policy was to turn the camera on when you get out of the squad car on a call and you forgot to hit the button?"
Brown also touched on more policy questions regarding access to the data and how long the data is stored, pointing out that very careful formulation of policy governing all aspects of the use of body cameras would have to occur. The Saline County Sheriff's deputies have tried two brands of body cameras, but have not yet found a model they like.
"If I'm going to give a piece of equipment to my officers I want it to be equipment that they will use and feel comfortable using," Brown said
Currently, the Saline County Sheriffs Office has two squad cars equipped with in-car cameras and these are assigned for night patrol duty. Brown is in favor of employing body cameras in his department if funding becomes available, but stressed this is merely one aspect of technical innovation continually occurring and is not a universal answer to any aspect of police enforcement.
Harrisburg Police Chief Bob Smith voiced similar feelings on the subjects of policy, cost and data security. He stated that he has inspected one model, but had not conducted further field testing yet. Smith also expressed concerns about policy formulation governing the employment of body cameras as well as data storage and accessibility.
"They could be a good tool, but they are not a blanket solutions to police and citizen interaction issues," Smith said. "They do tend to cut down on the number of fraudulent lawsuits and unfounded complaints about use of force, but on the other hand they could be damaging to our purpose of protecting and serving the public." Smith said, "It's a hot topic and everybody thinks we need them but, do we really need them in our area? Do we have some of the problems in the area of police/ community relations for our departments, that we can justify the cost of these cameras for our officers?"
The Harrisburg Police Department also has two patrol cars equipped with in-car cameras.
Sergeant Bill Duncan, Carrier Mills Police Information Officer is whole-heartedly in favor of equipping the force with these cameras.
"Absolutely, yes." Duncan said. "I'm a big advocate of this technology and have been all of my professional career. If the funding were available I would recommend equipping the village officers with them."
Duncan also touched on the cost of the units but as to the question of a camera inhibiting citizens from talking to the police, Duncan doesn't feel that this is an issue.
"Obviously, they wouldn't be on all the time," Duncan said. "When I would get out on a call, then I'd activate the camera. When I'm doing reports in the office, then it would be off. Likewise, if a citizen requested a confidential interaction or discussion, I would honor that request."
Duncan stated that the village did not currently have in-car cameras but has in the past and they worked out well for the department.
Harrisburg Mayor Dale Fowler stated that he has not looked into the question of police body cameras for the city and that he felt he would need to know a great deal more about the technology and any perceived need for the use of the cameras before beginning any official city contemplation of employing such devices.
"We would need to very carefully evaluate the potential benefit versus the potential damage of the application of this technology for our city," Fowler said. "Formulation of policy regarding camera use and data access would be important considerations and we would need full community involvement before any such decisions of police body cameras could be made."
At the current time, Fowler stated that the city has no intention of investigating the possible use of body cameras for the city police department.
Obviously, in some situations, police body cameras can be an invaluable aid to officers and the public. However, the myriad of questions, technical, legal and ethical posed by this technology are not easily resolved. If any of our local communities decide to investigate using these cameras, the municipality and the citizens would need to cautiously review all the ramifications of the issue and work together to develop a use policy appropriate for their individual community.