Committee mulls police body cameras

Chief says department drafting policy for use of devices

TROY, N.Y. » City council members recently weighed the pros and cons of equipping Troy police officers with body cameras.

The matter was at the top of the Troy City Council Public Safety Committee’s agenda for Thursday. A handful of city residents spoke on the subject ahead of members of the council, each citing studies both for and against police body cameras. Some stud- ies show a decline in complaints against police, others have shown little to no effect. Proponents of the cameras say they protect police from liability, hold them accountable, and make for better police interactions. Others say they only show the officer’s point of view, are costly, and have the potential to violate civil liberties.

Committee members questioned Troy Police Chief Brian Owens, who was named chief only a few months ago, about the costs associated with body cameras, and how the data from them might be stored.

“The department has been examining the possibility of getting body-worn cameras, to back up in- car video,” said Owens.

He said there was a pilot program a few years ago that saw cameras installed in a number of patrol cars, but it was discontinued

Owens said the department has begun to draft a policy for the use of body cameras, which it would need to have in order to seek grant funding. In response to a question from council member Mark McGrath, Owens said the department is using other agencies’ policies as templates, not creating its own from scratch.

“There are other places that have implemented body-worn camera programs, and we’re fortunate to be able to learn from their mistakes,” said Owens.

He said a working group has been formed within the department to examine the issue, concerns regarding the Police Be- nevolent Association, city liability, and public privacy.

“Any program we begin, we have to consider as many scenarios as we can, and we base that off our experience,” he said.

Ongoing maintenance costs would be where the real spending comes in, said Owens. Right now the department employs a video clerk to handle the city’s street cameras. Adding body cameras on top of that would require at least a second clerk.

McGrath said that whatever the city spends would be offset by the

cameras curbing legal action against the city.

The meeting became somewhat heated when Nicholas Laviano, president of the Troy Police Benevolent Association, disagreed with McGrath regarding studies on body cameras. Laviano cited a study on Washington, D.C. police that showed no change, while McGrath said studies had been done elsewhere showing the cameras are effective.

Laviano claimed that body cameras would cost the city $300,000 per year at least, and said the money would be better spent on more police officers.

The committee seemed largely in favor of pursuing the subject. Owens said it’s important that the program be done correctly, and that would take time. Other places, like Albany and Schenectady, are phasing in cameras over periods of a few years.

Owens said the plan is to have a policy drafted within the next two months.