MANSFIELD — The Mansfield police are considering body cameras to patrolling officers’ uniforms in their sights.
Still, the department has concerns that are holding back the deployment of this technology. So far the department has tested different models to see what camera options are the best fit.
“We look at battery life, picture quality, size and functionality,” Mansfield Police Department’s Lt. Doug Noblet said. “We don’t want our officers to have to push a lot of buttons in stressful situations. We don’t want them to do much more than they already have to do.”
Noblet said MPD is looking for the widest angled shot possible to capture an entire incident.
“A lot of concerns people have is (the camera) is streamlined. It only catches 20 to 30 percent of what is in front of you,” he said. “Cameras don’t have peripheral vision, so we want the widest angles possible.
“There are things you can hear, but can’t see.”
Cost and public privacy are both stumbling blocks to implementing the technology. Chief Ken Coontz said the price of one body camera is $700. With 60 patrolling officers, $42,000 would be the minimum cost for the cameras. Another $25,000 to $50,000 would be spent on a server to house the video of an officer’s eight-hour shift.
The department has yet to put money aside for the expenditure. Noblet said grants are difficult to receive as most federal and state grants go to metropolitan departments.
Years ago, MPD patrol cars used dash cams to monitor traffic stops and other events during an officer’s patrol. The Vision HAWK cameras were set up allowing data to be uploaded to MPD’s server. After the makers of Vision HAWK dash cameras went out of business — as did its server — the department lost its use of the cameras.
Coontz said the 2011 citywide fiscal emergency still impacts the department’s budget.
In 2007, MPD employed 97 officers. In 2016, it employs 83. Coontz’s department is budgeted for 89 officers.
“So we have yet to recover from the fiscal issues,” Coontz said. “And no one wants to go back.”
Also, MPD has two other projects that have priority.
Firearms need to be replaced, Coontz said. The current weapons are 14 years old. Also, the firing range located in the department’s headquarters is inadequate, he said.
“It is imperative our officers go and qualify,” he said. “We qualify quarterly.”
Law director John Spon agreed the cameras were an attractive avenue allowing the public to see the police in action.
“I support the use of body cameras,” Spon said. “They increase the credibility of our law enforcement. Their professionalism is at an unprecedented level, where good law enforcement should be. They represent the highest standard of police work.”
The need for MPD body cameras, according to Noblet, is the benefit they can play in court — not to police the officers.
“It’s not to catch our officers doing bad things,” Noblet said of public’s interest in police body cameras. “When an officer performs an operating a vehicle impaired stop and the officer stops and checks for sobriety, the camera footage can be used in court as evidence.”
Coontz said he supports his department using body cameras because it could help the public know his officers act with professionalism.
“But there are downsides too,” he said. “No doubt we will be asked for public record requests.”
With public access to all videos captured with the new technology, Coontz said his concern lies with privacy rights and victimizing victims again.
“Let’s say there is a rape case where details are given (on camera),” Coontz said. “The video goes public, and if she has enemies see it — should that be public record?”
With the explosion of body cameras in police forces across the nation, Coontz said there are a lot of questions that need answers.
Eric Miller, a Mansfield attorney, has shared his opposition of body camera use with Coontz and Mayor Tim Theaker.
“Even if all equipment was given to the city, and training was given to the department, the long-run expenses are too much,” Miller said. “There are hidden expenses the community is not ready to absorb.”
The costs Miller said he is worried about is in tune with Coontz public privacy woes.
“Body cams are the future, but their time hasn’t come yet,” Miller said. “After the financial emergency, we should stand on the sidelines for a few years and watch other communities go out and make mistakes.
“We’ll learn from their mistakes.”
Privacy mistakes such as video of an officer leaving his camera on, unwittingly exposing people on the street, and then becoming public property resulting in lawsuits are what Miller warned. He suggests waiting four years before using body cameras.
Coontz said the department will have to decide on a policy for events with sensitive information and come up with standard approaches when dealing with the information.
“We need to protect victims in videos. We may turn off the body cameras when handling sensitive cases,” Coontz said. “I wouldn’t want to see a person discussing those details (published) on Facebook videos. It’s a very real concern.
“There is an upside and a downside. I support them. We just have to weave our way through the process.”
