Re: “Body Cams Are a Year Away”
Police Chief Scott Bixby was listing several of the complexities of outfitting his officers with body cams by next summer.
Storage space and privacy issues are the two biggest lumps in the pathway.
“If we go into somebody’s house on a call,” said Mr. Bixby, “and it might be a sticky situation. There are details there to work out.
“It is not just the cost of the cameras ($100-$500). A lot of the cost is storage. Another question is, how long do you retain these things.
“And there is the matter of how is subject to public records requests.”
A roomful of details to filter through and work out, the chief said.
Nevertheless, as Mr. Bixby has said from the outset of the rage born13 months ago, “Body cams and our dash cams are good things.”
Two officers scored a beat on the rest of the force and purchased their own body cameras.
“I don’t want to tell them they can’t have them,” Mr. Bixby said, “because the cameras provide some benefits.”
Has the chief encountered resistance within?
“People are concerned, but that is natural: Human nature. Fear of the unknown. Overall, the majority is on board with it.
“We just need to make sure our policies and procedures are ones that everyone can live with,” Mr. Bixby said.
“Obviously, our No. 1 priority is to provide a public service and be transparent.”
But the chief knows those responsibilities must be balanced against “the concern that our employees feel comfortable, too.”
