The Kansas City Police Department went high-tech on Monday and began training with body cameras that are on loan for a 90-day trial.
This happens on the heels of a man being shot and killed by police in North Carolina, with protests erupting after officers waited to release footage of the shooting.
Kansas City officers said this chain of events did not have to do with their decision. The KC police chief actually convened a work group to look into body cameras more than a year ago.
KCPD will try out the Coban body cameras for free. Coban is the same company it uses for dash cam footage.
KCPD anticipates $1,000 or less in overtime expenses to try out the body cameras.
“We want to participate with the public in increasing our transparency. We recognize there is technology available that could help us do that,” explained Major Scott Glaeser.
The department is hoping to learn a few things from the trial:
- How to store the footage and how much it will cost?
- Are any technology upgrades needed to KCPD’s current technology?
- Are there any issues with the department’s current body camera policy?
“We want to deploy in a responsible way. Some departments have had to deploy and pull them back,” said Glaeser.
Another key issue: when will media and the public have access to the footage? Police told 41 Action News for the most part it would be shown after investigations were complete. Privacy issues also play a role. However, there are times it could be shown before as well, determined on a case by case basis. This is similar to the department’s dash cam policy.
Dan Friesen is a master officer with the Lenexa Police Department. The department started using police body cameras in 2009. Friesen believes they're a safety tool for officers.
"The pros definitely outweigh the cons. It cooperates information the officer has testified to," said Friesen.
Friesen added that the cameras are not fool-proof because things do happen outside of the view of the camera.
"These are small units and struggles that take place occasionally out in the field, they can break, they can fall to the ground and not capture what you hoped that they would so it's not fool-proof by any stretch, but it's a great additional tool," said Friesen.
The department is hoping to improve transparency with the public.
“This allows us to see for ourselves what had occurred and the possibility of gathering evidence for criminal prosecution… it gives us that as well,” said Glaeser. He went on to say if anyone in the public has a problem with an officer’s actions, this will give more transparency on that front as well.
Glaeser said about 30 are on loan, and about 25 will be outfitted to different divisions. Some of those include the urban, suburban, foot, motor and tactical divisions.
Currently they are discovering how officers and people interact with the technology.
Glaeser said the video data will take up a tremendous amount of storage space. He said it could cost millions.
Currently police store dash cam video for two years, though state law only mandates it be stored for 30 days. They have found the longer date helps in investigations.
Police have had dash cam video for at least 15 years and have had great success with it. Here’s the take from people on the front line.
“There are a lot of officers excited for the opportunity to try it. It’s possible there may be some apprehension of people who have not experienced the technology yet,” explained Glaeser.
After this trial period the department will have a better idea of what storage would cost. They can then make a recommendation to the city council.
At this time the department does not have a timeline of if or when body cameras would be rolled out on a permanent basis.
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