[bouldercouncilhotline] Hotline: Budget Item: Police Body Cameras

[cmosupport at bouldercolorado.gov]

Sender: Young, Mary

P {margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;}


This Hotline post is to communicate my questions and comments to colleagues, staff and the public. I will bring these up tomorrow during the budget discussion.

Questions:

1. What problem(s) are we solving with body cameras?

2. Big cities are deploying cameras to reduce police brutality and violence. How many complaints of police brutality and violence does the city receive on an annual basis?

3. What are the typical complaints against police officers and how often do these occur?


Comments:

1. The body cameras we are considering require manual operation. Regardless of whatever policy is in place, ultimately the police officer is responsible for turning the camera on and off. Furthermore, cameras have only a four hour capacity, most shifts are
 longer than that.

2. The cameras' main use is to document contacts, i. e. to record evidence. Is the main purpose of this tool litigation prevention?

3. Boulder is not LA, New York or St. Louis. Our context is different: a town of just over 100K people, still small enough to consider people solutions. For example, one time funds such as the 16K that the police department will contribute towards the cameras
 in 2015, could be used as bonuses for officers who demonstrate exemplary conduct. Are body cameras a substitute for some other more constructive means that could accomplish the same thing?

4. Community policing is a collective responsibility. Good relationships between the public and police officers enable good community policing, an important aspect of resiliency. The sight of a camera on a police officer could inhibit informal and friendly
 interactions for fear of being on camera. The effect being missed opportunities to cultivate trust and respect between officers and community members.

5. This comes with a price tag of $103,500 for 150 cameras ($74,250 one-time expense, $29,250), but the one-time is not really one-time as all electronic equipment has designed obsolescence. Should we go this route, we would be adding a line-item expense every
 few years in perpetuity and I question if we really have a problem needing this particular solution or are we simply jumping on a band wagon?

Thank you.




Mary
 Dolores Young
Boulder City Council Member
303-501-2439