Somerville cops to don cameras
Somerville police officers will soon be wearing body cameras after the city and police union recently reached an agreement, the city announced Tuesday.
After several years in a stalemate, the city and the Somerville Police Employees Association union — which represents patrol officers — struck a deal to deploy patrol officer body cameras.
“While no one reform alone will achieve our goals to re-envision policing in our community, body cameras are an important step forward as we continue to build on our police force’s deep commitment to transparent, procedurally just, and compassionate community policing,” Mayor Joseph Curtatone said in a statement.
“Body cameras aren’t a panacea, but they are an essential part of modern policing,” he tweeted. “Our resolve in insisting on them has finally paid off. This is a win for everybody in our city, including our police officers. Better transparency helps good policing thrive.”
The city has pushed for body cameras in recent years.
After the killing of George Floyd last May, the implementation of body cameras was included in the city’s list of 10 priorities for police reform. Also that month, city councilors and the mayor introduced a joint resolution in support of body cameras for sworn officers.
The police union ratified the agreement last week. Any body cameras used by the Somerville Police Department would not include facial recognition capability, but would serve solely to document police actions.
Negotiations continue for deploying body cameras for superior officers, who are represented by a separate union.
“The police administration’s hope is that this technology will enhance mutual respect and trust between our officers and the community while providing greater transparency into police operations,” Interim Police Chief Charles Femino said in a statement. “There is good evidence that body cameras can reduce the potential for police misconduct or excessive use of force while also reducing false accusations of police abuse, all of which supports public safety and procedural justice.”