St. Paul police officers will begin wearing body cameras as part of a pilot program in 2016, according to an agreement reached by the St. Paul city council on Wednesday.
The council approved the pilot program with the hopes that it will reduce claims of police brutality and help preserve evidence.
“[Police body cameras have] been shown to protect both police officers and community members by incentivizing both parties to reduce or eliminate the use of force,” the council announced on Wednesday. The video evidence also helps “preserve evidence from crime scenes.”
The council’s agreement is the first step towards outfitting officers in St. Paul with body cameras. Now the ball is in the police department’s court, as the council asked them to begin developing program guidelines and budgetary items. The police department will report its initial findings to the council on May 1, and if all goes as planned they’ll share specific budget recommendations at a second council session on September 1st. If the department hits their deadlines, police should have their body cameras by 2016.
Getting the framework set for the body camera program won’t be easy, because the equipment and video storage can get expensive, said council member Dan Bostrom.
“This is going to be costly, I suspect, and we should know that in advance.”
That said, getting a plan in place shouldn’t be too difficult, as numerous Minnesota police departments have already adopted body cameras. Farmington, Burnsville, Brooklyn Park, Duluth and Minneapolis all have launched or are in the process of launching a body camera program.
Work Here, Live Here
In addition to the body camera program, the city council wants St. Paul to look into financial incentives for police officers who live in the communities they serve.
According to the city council, “studies have shown that the community benefits from police … living alongside them because it builds relationships and trust, gives the police officers an inside perspective of a neighborhood and adds a level of security to a neighborhood.”
Currently only 22 percent of St. Paul police department employees live in the city. On average, 28 percent of St. Paul workers live in the city limits.
Related source: Pioneer Press
