Within a couple of months,
Modesto police officers expect to be wearing body cameras to record everything
from traffic stops to arrests.
The City Council could
approve a consent item this evening to spend $127,600 in grant funding to buy
the video cameras from Arizona-based Taser International. That funding and
$30,000 in Homeland Security money would enable the department to purchase 150
to 170 of the AXON Flex video recorders, Police Chief Mike Harden said.
If approved, the cameras
should be delivered in 45 days, he said.
The small cameras, which
usually are clipped to officers' shirt lapels, are designed to record police
interactions with the public.
In early June 2011, the day
after an independent investigator's report cleared the department of police
brutality claims, Harden divulged that officers were field-testing the wearable
cameras. Investigator Bob Aaronson of Palo Alto looked into the brutality
charges after an anonymous letter claimed that department managers were
ignoring complaints of excessive force.
Modesto police previously had
spent $135,000 in grant funding on vehicle dashboard cameras, but the software
and hardware didn't work well together and the manufacturer refunded the city's
money.
The body cameras can provide
key evidence to determine whether an officer used appropriate force in taking
down a subject. Internal investigators reviewing the video and audio can glean
evidence on whether the officer crossed the line or the subject made false
claims about the incident.
In addition, officers
activate the cameras to record statements from victims or gather evidence for
use in criminal court cases.
Harden said body cameras are
far more versatile than video equipment in patrol cars, which only captures
what happens in front of the officer's vehicle. The body cameras record what
happens as officers chase a subject in an alley or serve a search warrant
inside a home.
Unique features
The department field-tested
three camera systems starting a year ago. According to a report, the AXON Flex
equipment would be bought from Taser through a sole-source purchase, instead of
through the bid process, because it has features not offered by Taser's
competitors.
One feature is a
"pre-event recording loop," when the camera, placed on standby mode,
is always running and preserves the 30 seconds of video before the officer presses
the activation button. Another feature allows officers who are ending their
shifts to leave the camera in a cradle that downloads images and recharges the
camera.
Other systems require
officers to spend 20 to 40 minutes downloading data manually, the report says.
The department plans to equip
patrol and traffic officers with the cameras, but gang enforcement officers and
others could use them, as well.
Officer Tony Arguelles,
president of the Modesto Police Officers Association, said the purchase of cameras
would be a positive development.
It would allow police to
record all kinds of interactions with the public, he said, including those that
become contentious. "You can go back and review that contact on the video
if an issue arises," he said.
After the cameras are
delivered, likely this summer, Harden said, the department will issue a general
order instructing officers to activate the cameras when investigating
incidents, making subject or traffic stops, during probation searches and while
serving search or arrest warrants.
The department also wants
officers to activate the cameras on other occasions at their discretion, the
chief said.
