Wichita police recommend $2.2 million body camera system

As it moves toward providing body cameras for all patrol officers by the end of the year, the Wichita Police Department is recommending the city buy a $2.2 million system to use for the next five years.

That cost would include the purchase of cameras; licensing fees and data storage in the first year of $712,000; and licensing and data storage fees of $360,000 for subsequent years, according to city documents.

The intent is for all patrol officers – more than 400 – to have the cameras. Supervising officers will not.

Police recommend the city buy Taser’s Axon system, said Captain Brian White, who presented the recommendation to the City Council on Tuesday.

White said he researched several body camera systems. The proposed contract with Taser would include upgrades during the five years of the contract – specifically upgrades to the technology to turn on the body cameras automatically if an officer turns on his lights or draws his Taser stun gun, if the company releases that within the contract period.

The department now uses 60 body cameras and has a waiting list of officers who want to wear them, White said.

“Most officers want to wear it,” he said.

The Taser system includes the camera, battery and viewing monitor, which looks similar to a cellphone. The city’s purchase would also include software to store and access video through Evidence.com.

Through the viewing monitor, officers could watch video and tag specific parts of it, but they could not edit or delete it, White said. The only way an officer could delete video would be by destroying the camera, he said.

The department also is working on a policy for use of the body cameras; it hopes to release a draft in the next month. It is almost complete, but parts about where the cameras will be placed on the body are still being worked on.

Head-mounted cameras are likely the future, White said. The video from head-mounted cameras is typically better quality and can’t be obstructed by the arms as easily as chest or lapel-mounted cameras, he said.

There are also questions about how the department will deal with open records requests under state law. The department will have to hire additional staff, possibly four people, to handle the records, White said.

Open record laws vary from state to state, so it’s difficult to compare how other major cities have drafted their open records video policies. But White said he thinks the department should err on the side of transparency.

“Generally I feel that being more transparent and sharing is a better way, but we also have to balance that with someone's personal privacy,” he said.

For instance, there could be a police altercation that’s taped in the presence of a domestic violence victim or a situation in a hospital.

One of the biggest hurdles to implementing the system is funding, White said. The police department is seeking federal grants and plans to also use narcotics seizure funds to help offset costs.

A public hearing will be held before the potential purchase of the cameras. Formal approval of the contract with Taser would come at a future council meeting, said Mayor Jeff Longwell.

This story was originally published June 9, 2015 at 12:01 PM with the headline "Wichita police recommend $2.2 million body camera system."