Body cameras can protect police, but only if policies allow it

BODY CAMERAS FOR POLICE have become expected. In January, a report from the Police Executive Research Forum — an independent research group focused on law enforcement issues — pointed to how the devices changed over a 10-year period. There were 200 policing experts pulled together in 2013 to discuss this new technology and what it would mean. How should it be implemented? Would it be a benefit? Ten years later, body cameras are common, with the report showing 82% of surveyed agencies had at least one camera in use. High-profile cases like George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Tyre Nichols have taken people into tense situations via that footage. In Pittsburgh, multiple body cameras were used to reconstruct the incident in which Jim Rogers, 54, was shocked over and over by a police officer in 2021; the homeless man died the next day. In the report, the police research forum made recommendations about using body cameras. They should be used in all calls and interactions, with rare exceptions. There should be policies about how long the footage would be retained and which supervisors can review it. Those are important for the protection of victims and witnesses but also for the accused as well as officers themselves. Policies offer consistency and protection. They can foster accountability and grow trust. Another suggestion? Clear guidelines about releasing footage to journalists. “A police department that deploys body-worn cameras is making a statement that it believes the actions of its officers are a matter of public record,” the report stated. That is true. Again, if this is the policy, it has the ability to protect police officers and grow public trust. And that is why Greensburg Council did a good thing for both the community and the police when it approved purchase of body cameras for its officers this week. They will be purchased with a state grant for $140,000. Council will work with public safety policy management company Lexipol to develop a policy for their use. At this time, Greensburg will not be following the lead of other communities that have agreed to Westmoreland County District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli’s request that her office review any footage before it is released to the public. In Allegheny County, Wilkinsburg is obtaining body cameras via a federal grant for $514,000. Police Chief Ophelia “Cookie” Coleman spoke to the automatically triggered devices as a way to have safer interactions for everyone. “That body camera is not going to lie,” she said. “You have to be transparent.” The attitude and related policies are at least as important as the technology in deploying the body cameras. The devices cannot be viewed with distrust by police and should not be hoarded by prosecutors.