Police focus on the pros and cons of body cameras

Since change in law, more using them

Bucks County Courier Times

DOYLESTOWN, Pa. — Gun — check. Badge — check. Body camera — check.

Clipping a video camera to his chest is not something Central Bucks Regional police Cpl. Cliff Horn ever thought would become partof his pre-shift ritual.

And two years ago, when Cpl. Horn, then an officer, learned the department would be one of seven Bucks County law enforcement agencies taking part in a pilot program to test out police-worn body cameras, he was not exactly enthused.

“We’re creatures of habit,” said Cpl. Horn, a cop since 1992, during a recent interview from the police station in Doylestown. “We like things to be very structured and now there was something new being thrown into the routine.”

But over time he’s changed his tune.

He says the cameras often reduce tensions immediately. When everyone involved in a police response call knows that tape is running, it tends to de-escalate situations pretty quickly, he added.

The footage also aids him in writing accurate, detailed reports.

Cpl. Horn quickly realized the cameras would have a permanent place in the police tool box.

The department now has 23 cameras in rotation, used by every officer during every shift.

State police announced their own pilot program in June, taking advantage of $52,000 in federal grant money to develop a program and purchase 30 cameras to be used through 2018.

Last year, the Philadelphia Police Department spent $12.5 million to equip all 4,000 patrol officers with the devices following a 2014 pilot program.

Police in Montgomery County are still in the early stages of exploring and acquiring the technology. Plymouth Township police Chief Joseph Lawrence, who also serves as president of the Police Chiefs Association of Montgomery County, said his department is the only one in the county to have body cameras.

But the majority of Montgomery County police forces will likely pursue body cameras in 2019, he said.

In Bucks County, as many set-in-their-ways veteran cops have come around to see the positives in rolling tape, some police departments have yet to get on board.

The reason, according to some police officials, lies beyond the lens.

Hidden costs need to be considered when implementing a body camera program, they say.

“Storage is huge,” said Central Bucks Capt. Robert Milligan. “We keep [all footage] no