Maine State Police justified in plan to use body cameras

The equipment is expensive, but it will boost accountability and public confidence in the agency’s work.

9ast stretches of the state of Maine are patrolled by state troopers, typically operating on their own without partners or direct supervision, responding to everything from fender-benders to homicides.

Typically, the only record of what they do comes from the officers’ reports and statements by the people they encounter. But that may soon change.

State Police Col. John P. Cote says that his agency is preparing to equip officers with body-worn cameras that would make a video record of what they do when they are out on the road.

This is good news from a department that has been criticized for its secretive approach toward investigating allegations of police misconduct and meting out discipline. The voluntary adoption of body cameras, if it comes with robust policies to limit officers’ ability to turn them off and on, send a strong message that the department is not afraid of accountability.

Body cameras are not a panacea, but there is enough experience with them from departments across the country to see their benefits, both for officers and the public. Most people are by now familiar with video recorded by officers, and expect to see it when there is a dispute between witnesses over basic facts.

The videos often lack context – relevant events can be too close or too far away to be captured by the camera. But they can deliver an unbiased view of how an encounter started. They also can preserve a witness’ freshest recollection of events before time and outside pressures affect their memories.

There are reasons for police and police reformers to want body cameras. A study by the Rand Corporation found that departments that use body cameras face fewer allegations of misconduct, but more cases of assaults on an officer, perhaps because the cameras behave like an independent witness.

The biggest challenge for the Maine State Police will be the solitary nature of most troopers’ work.

Unlike members of an urban police department, who start and end their shift at headquarters, many troopers hit the road from home and visit the police barracks only occasionally. This will make the storage and preservation of video recordings challenging. But that is an obstacle that can be overcome. As Cote told the Press Herald this week, it’s a matter of when, and not if, the agency adopts the technology.

Legislators should make sure that the state police are planning to use the best practices for making and preserving the recordings of police work, and that the program is adequately funded.

Maine’s biggest and most visible police department deserves to have the equipment it needs to do its job in a way that maximizes public confidence.

To the extent that body cameras and the policies that govern their use furthers that goal, this program deserves full support.