Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD) leaders on Monday described a pilot program they plan to roll-out this summer to equip 100 officers with body-worn cameras for 90 days.
The pilot program has been developed over the past year, according to Chief Tom Manger, who said they’ll be testing the cameras to help answer questions such as when they should be activated, how long the recordings should be stored and how to address privacy concerns.
Police plan to equip officers with 100 Taser Axon Body & Flex cameras, which cost $500 each. The Body cameras are worn on officers’ chest, while the Flex cameras attach to officers’ glasses. For 90 days the officers will use them in the field under guidelines similar to the policy established for dash mounted cameras. Police estimate the cost of the pilot program at $95,000; which includes the camera cost, $250 dock units which are used to download footage and charge the cameras; and $20,000 to pay for five months of data storage to archive the video footage.
The cameras are capable of clearly recording audio and video footage from up to 15 to 20 feet away, according to police.
Manger, who described the program at a meeting with members of the Montgomery County Council’s Public Safety Committee, said that bills currently being evaluated by the General Assembly in Annapolis may affect how the pilot and future body camera programs can be implemented.
State bills that could dictate how long recordings must be archived, what should be recorded and how the state wiretap law affects body camera recordings are currently in front of the state legislature.
Luther Reynolds, an MCPD assistant chief, said the laws could have a major effect on the county’s policy. Reynolds said storing the video may be the most expensive part of the program. He said citizens’ typically file a complaint within 90 days, so that may be a benchmark that’s used in the future.
Council member Sidney Katz expressed concern at the meeting that a citizen may file a complaint only to find that police no longer have the video stored. But Reynolds said keeping the videos forever or for long periods of time may not be affordable.
Council member Craig Rice, who said he supports body cameras, asked about ensuring that the cameras were turned on.
Manger said that once a policy is in place, “the expectation is that officers will abide by that policy.” He said officers will study camera battery life issues and make sure important incidents are recorded—such as when officers use force. ”We want to make sure the equipment is reliable,” he said.
Manger said that no matter what the state government does, the county’s police force plans to move forward with the trial. The pilot program could begin as early as May or June, Reynolds said.
Police worn body-cameras are gaining attention as a national policy issue after high-profile police-involved killings in Ferguson, Missouri, Staten Island and Cleveland. Preliminary research has shown that police use force less and citizens file less complaints when body cameras are used by officers.
A state report compiled for the General Assembly listed many benefits of body cameras, including the ability to resolve citizen complaints, having evidence to use in criminal and civil court cases, and as a training tool for officers.
Legal questions include whether an officer is allowed to record the audio of a conversation with a citizen under Maryland’s wiretap law, which is an issue police leaders hoped the General Assembly would deal with this year. Other issues include managing public information requests and negotiating the use of cameras with the local police union.
Image above of a Taser Axon Flex camera system. Via Taser.
