In wake of events in Ferguson, Missouri, and other cases across the nation, the Madison Board of Estimates recently called for a study on the implementation of body cameras for police.
The Board of Estimates voted Monday to approve research to be conducted in the summer of 2015 on the implications of police body cameras. The research proposal will need to be approved by City Council, and all possible issues must be discussed before action can be taken, Ald. Lisa Subeck, District 1, said.
The board also discussed the possibility of running a pilot program in 2016 where officers in Madison’s south district will receive body cameras, Joel DeSpain, spokesperson for the Madison Police Department, said. However, at this point the pilot program or the actual use of body cameras have not been approved, Subeck said.
“Body cameras are certainly not the only solution and may not even be a good solution,” Subeck said. “And thats why the Board of Estimates and others called for a report on the issues.”
The City Council will vote on the issue Feb. 3, Subeck said. If approved by City Council, a new committee would be formed with members from the domestic abuse, LGBT and minority communities and representatives from the Madison Police and Fire Departments, Ald. Larry Palm, District 12, said.
This citizen committee would review the issues that could arise if police body cameras are used, ultimately making a recommendation to the City Council on whether or not it should run a pilot program, Palm said. This recommendation would have to be made in 2015 to allocate money for the program in the 2016 budget, he said.
An outside consultant would also be brought on to help evaluate the impact police body cameras could have on the community, Palm said.
The talk of implementing body cameras increased after a Ferguson, Missouri police officer shot and killed Michael Brown, an unarmed African American teenager.
“Certainly some of my colleagues were looking for ways to prevent similar events from happening in Madison,” Subeck said.
Some in the community have voiced support for police body cameras, including Ald. Scott Resnick, District 8, who is running for mayor.
Yet others have raised privacy concerns, saying that recorded videos would become a public record, according to Palm.
DeSpain, the MPD spokesperson, said many people who contact MPD wish to remain anonymous, sometimes because they might be afraid of retaliation.
The MPD SWAT team currently wears body cameras and all squad cars and interview rooms are also equipped with cameras, DeSpain said.
Subeck said she believes there are better alternatives to explore to avoid violence, rather than the implementation of body cameras. She said there is a much bigger issue at hand and people are simply looking toward body cameras for police as a quick fix.
“Cameras are just one thing, but people are looking for a solution to a much bigger issue,” Subeck said. “A camera doesn’t solve those issues, we need to look at how we can build trust.”
