Progress on police cameras
Mindful of a big promise made to citizens in 2014, Wichita officials are making impressive progress toward equipping all Wichita Police Department patrol officers with body-worn cameras by the end of 2015.
The City Council voted Tuesday to buy a $2.2 million Axon system from Taser International and seek a $250,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Justice to help cover the $714,480 cost for the first year. Other dollars would come from the Police Department tow fund and an existing federal grant. In the years ahead, narcotics seizure funds and the retirement of the police helicopter also may be part of paying for the system, which will involve licensing fees, data storage and additional staff to handle video and open-records requests.
The Police Department already has 60 Taser cameras, in a pilot program that began in 2011, and aims to phase in a total 429 by January.
Council members took some flak from the public at Tuesday’s meeting about the process, especially for proceeding without a bidding process, certain funding, or a policy on when and how the cameras will be used.
The concerns about the unfinished policy were met with assurances that public input will be sought soon. That’s essential to transparency, and to ensure the new system improves the relationship between law enforcement and citizens. The city has identified funding options, even if it doesn’t win the DOJ grant.
And a case can be made for forgoing an open bidding process, despite city policy requiring it for purchases of more than $50,000: The 2011 purchase of Axon cameras came after a competitive open bid. The Taser system “has performed well” for the department since then, according to city documents, and the latest purchase “is generally compatible” with current equipment and will include an upgrade. City staff also researched a variety of systems and consulted other law enforcement agencies, including on Arizona’s bidding process with Taser last year.
Track record and compatibility matter a lot – arguably more than the cheapest price when it comes to a high-tech tool needed for public safety.
And it seems strange to hear community voices urging the city to go slower at this point, because activists have spent years calling on the Police Department to adopt camera technology broadly. The need took on urgency in Wichita after several deadly confrontations between police and suspects, as well as the 2014 shootings of unarmed men by a South Carolina state trooper and a Ferguson, Mo., police officer. It was at last August’s emotional #NoFergusonHere meeting that then-Mayor Carl Brewer made a commitment “to man-up every officer with a camera.”
The use of such technology raises challenging questions about privacy and civil liberties. Unfortunately, the video footage won’t always provide the desired certainty about what happened.
But it will be a good day for Wichita when a body camera is standard equipment for its police force – serving accountability, officer and citizen safety, and public trust.
For the editorial board, Rhonda Holman
This story was originally published July 9, 2015 at 7:06 PM with the headline "Progress on police cameras."