Seattle City Councilmember Bruce Harrell

Press Release issued on Wednesday, 6/30/2010:

Head or body mounted video cameras can provide additional perspective of events

Seattle – Councilmember Bruce Harrell has scheduled a special meeting of the Energy, Technology and Civil Rights Committee requesting the Department of Information Technology and the Seattle Police Department to provide an update on the feasibility of placing state of the art camera and video technology on Seattle Police Officers. This addition may assist the City’s public safety efforts and reduce potentially violent situations.

The discussion will take place during a special Energy, Technology and Civil Rights Committee meeting on Wednesday, July 7, 2010, at 12:00-1:00 p.m. Meetings are held in Council Chambers at City Hall and the public is encouraged to attend. The meeting will include a demonstration of the latest on-person video camera technologies.

“According to some police departments, body-mounted cameras should be the way of the future. Recent incidents have shown us that video is a powerful tool that can be used to the benefit of both citizens and officers,” said Councilmember Harrell.

Councilmember Tim Burgess, Chair of the Public Safety and Education Committee says, “We have been aggressively exploring new means to assist our officers and improve public safety and Seattle should consider the feasibility and usefulness of this technology. We now have the benefit of examining the deployment of cameras in other jurisdictions to determine the lessons learned and whether their application makes sense in Seattle.”

Recent pilot programs in the United Kingdom involving head mounted cameras on police have provided positive results. In the city of Plymouth in southwest England, footage recorded by officers was useful in public disorder cases. People who might normally dispute their charge decided not to after watching police video of their conduct. A similar pilot project is underway in San Jose, California, where 18 officers are using the technology.

“In Victoria and Scotland for example, trials are underway where police officers are equipped with body-worn cameras and the cameras have apparently made it easier to sustain charges and deter anti-social behavior. It also preserves a record of what occurs in the field which could be helpful for all involved,” said Councilmember Harrell.

While the Seattle Police Department is using video cameras in their vehicles, Councilmembers Harrell and Burgess want to examine the feasibility of expanding video camera use outside of the patrol car. The committee will discuss the costs and benefits and the possibility of moving forward with this initiative.

“There are several policy issues that this kind of initiative raises such as the extent to which it changes police working conditions and what protocols would be established for the use and archiving of camera footage, but those issues should be defined and addressed in conjunction with identifying the right technology or products,” says Councilmember Harrell.

Jennifer Samuels, a staff member from my office, recently spoke to Sgt. John Boren, San Jose Police Department’s research and development unit, where there is currently a head-mounted camera pilot project underway. The San Jose Police Department, a 1500-member department, has tested new technology and has provided input to make up Taser’s latest Axon model.

Sgt. Boren said, “The truth of the matter is that we want to protect our officers from invalid complaints. It’s about protecting our officers in the field. It’s about capturing evidence.” He said, “Taser provides excellent…evidence. It increases professionalism on the part of the officer and affects the behavior of the public.”

Officers in the San Jose Police Department saw empirical evidence that showed a change in the public’s behavior and improved professionalism on the part of officers.

Sgt. Boren stated that in a private home, if a resident asks you to turn it off, you must turn it off. However, in the streets, you can have it on — there are no privacy issues. He went on to say, “The system is capable of pretty impressive features. At some point, we will see what the officer sees real-time.”

When asked how does it save taxpayers? Sgt. Boren responded that when one major lawsuit is prevented and one shooting is captured, there is “a potential savings in civil liability.”

We are now just beginning our outreach to the public and discussions with City departments. Do let me know what you think. I would love to hear from you, and find out more about the issues and concerns. Contact me or my staff at jennifer.samuels@Seattle.gov.

Photo credit: Dai Sugano/San Jose Mercury News/AP

http://web1.seattle.gov/mnm/policereports.aspx

Tuesday, August 4, 2009, marked the annual Night Out Against Crime in our city. Night Out is a national crime prevention event designed to increase awareness of crime prevention and increase neighborhood support of anti-crime efforts. It attempts to unify communities. The events provide a great opportunity to learn about crime prevention, get to know neighbors, and celebrate community. This year there were at least 51 Night Out events in Seattle. Events were held in parks, parking lots and in the street. The number of events shows the dedication and high level of civic engagement in our city. This is something we should all be proud of! I attended a Night Out event in Genesee Park and my staff members Jennifer Samuels and Michael Jerrett attended events in Uptown, Meadowbrook and Ravenna. To learn more about Night Out please visit the following link: http://www.cityofseattle.net/police/Nightout/default.htm

I reacquainted myself and ate with neighbors who only lived within a 10 block radius who I would not have gotten to know but for the annual Night Out. This provides a great opportunity to discuss common safety concerns.

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