Police launch use of body cameras in north Wichita (+videos)

Police officers in north Wichita have begun using body worn cameras on duty, a step officials on Thursday called a “significant milestone” in the plan to have all officers on duty using cameras by the end of the year.

About 55 Patrol North officers are now using the cameras, with another 50 or so in training on their use, Deputy Police Chief Gavin Seiler said. Officers in Patrol East will be trained on the cameras next.

The goal, Seiler said, is “to be as transparent as possible,” while also balancing public safety, the integrity of criminal investigations and privacy rights.

Officials also released an eight-page policy on when and how the cameras are to be used. The policy has 74 individual points and was crafted with input from various local groups and officials.

Among other points, the policy lays out several instances when the cameras should be activated:

▪ Vehicle and pedestrian stops

▪ Unlawful conduct observed

▪ Use-of-force situations

▪ Reading someone their Miranda rights

▪ Statements made by suspects, victims or witnesses

▪ Vehicle searches

▪ K-9 deployments

▪ Physical arrests of people

▪ Evidence found in the course of a criminal investigation

▪ Serving a search warrant

▪ Encounters initiated by a private person – for instance, someone flagging down an officer

▪ Any contact that becomes adversarial after an initial contact that normally would not otherwise require recording.

▪ Surveillance when a suspect is observed.

Officers who do not follow the policy on use of the cameras “may be subject to discipline per the Discipline Regulation Code,” the policy states.

Residents can ask officers to turn on their body cameras during an interaction, according to the policy, though the officer is not then required to do so.

The push for body cameras in Wichita was fueled by several officer-involved shootings – both locally and nationally – in recent years that left relatives of the victims with questions about whether the force used was justified.

Sunflower Community Action was among the local groups that offered input into the policy, said Djuan Wash, a Sunflower spokesman. But Wash said he’s still not pleased with the final document.

Body cameras are intended “to keep officers accountable,” Wash said, adding that the cameras would hopefully make sure that if force is used “it’s done so justifiably and legally.”

The policy should help make that happen, he said.

“This policy, as it stands right now, just doesn’t do that,” he said.

Instead, he said, the policy follows a national trend of doing more to protect officers than the public.

“These policies are not actually protecting the public,” Wash said. “If it doesn’t serve that purpose, then it needs to be changed.”

‘Very beneficial’

The cameras will cost an estimated $2.2 million to deploy and use over a five-year period. Wichita was awarded a $250,000 federal grant to help pay for the cameras.

“It is our goal to meet the Dec. 31 deadline,” Seiler said, though that is contingent on receiving the grant money.

Officer Timothy Baird was one of the officers asked to test the cameras as officials were investigating which systems to use.

“I think they’re very beneficial” for both officers and civilians, Baird said.

He said he has been using the camera for a little more than a year now.

“Having it on helps me and helps the citizens feel comfortable,” Baird said, adding that it keeps situations calmer.

Baird said it took a week or two for him to get used to the camera, which is mounted on the edge of his glasses. The camera isn’t heavy, he said, but it does make his glasses tip a little bit.

At first, he could see the tip of the lens out of the corner of his eye, but he has since gotten used to the device.

“It’s become muscle memory” to tap the large on-off switch he has hooked to his vest, Baird said.

Two taps turns it on; one shuts it off. The switch, which also serves as the battery pack, can be worn wherever an officer chooses, provided it allows for quick access, Capt. Brian White said.

Every officer will have their own camera, White said, and they will click the camera and battery into their assigned docking stations at the end of their shifts so the video will be downloaded and the battery fully recharged when they arrive for their next shift.

“We want to make sure every officer has their camera ready to go when their shift starts,” White said.

The policy makes clear that video will not replace the need for required documentation. Officers will still need to fill out reports.

While some residents have asked Baird about his body camera, “most citizens don’t even notice it on my face,” he said.

Baird turns on his camera any time he’s on a call.

“There’s no telling what may happen when I step out of my vehicle,” he said.

‘He said, she said’

Police officials expect to release more than 10,000 videos of incidents over the next year.

Members of the public may request a copy of a video via the Kansas Open Records Act. The policy indicates the department will charge $35 for each video requested or $50 if redaction is necessary.

The policy also spells out how long video recorded by officers will be retained in storage:

▪ Traffic stops, probable cause or reasonable suspicion stops, “knock and talks” at a residence or service calls that do not result in an arrest or citation will be held for two years.

▪ Misdemeanor investigations/arrests will be held for three years.

▪ Felony investigations/arrests will be held for 10 years.

▪ Rape cases, homicide/death investigations and deadly use of force incidents will be held indefinitely.

▪ Use of force incidents will be held for 10 years.

“It’s taken a lot of work to get to this point, but there’s still a lot of work to do,” Seiler said.

Mayor Jeff Longwell said he and the City Council are strong supporters of the body cameras.

“We think that it’s a good step in improving our communications with all of our citizens,” Longwell said. “The reality is, we have people that accuse officers of a wide variety of things.”

With video and audio of incidents available, “it’s not ‘he said, she said’ any more.”

This story was originally published October 15, 2015 at 12:32 PM with the headline "Police launch use of body cameras in north Wichita (+videos)."