Some Elgin officers will start wearing body cameras in February
A first group of 30 to 35 patrol officers in Elgin will begin wearing body cameras by February, and the entire 182-member police department — all the way up to the chief — will be outfitted by the end of 2017, officials said.
The Elgin City Council voted unanimously Wednesday to approve a contract for the purchase of body cameras and video storage/management equipment from Taser International, based in Arizona. It was the culmination of a selection process that began late last year, when Elgin was awarded a $250,000 federal grant that is being matched with $250,000 in city drug asset forfeiture funds.
Councilwoman Tish Powell said she was proud the city's police department was proactive about body cameras.
“This is the new community policing model that is being encouraged, and it's considered best practice for police departments across the country,” Powell said.
Police plan to buy 215 body cameras and 30 helmet-mounted cameras for the SWAT team, Deputy Chief Bill Wolf said.
The department was methodical in evaluating proposals from 15 vendors, which it whittled to three finalists, Cmdr. Ana Lalley said.
Rank-and-file officers, not just top brass, were actively involved, and some even consulted with their counterparts who use body cameras in other jurisdictions, she said.
Among the officers who tested body cameras was Josh Miller, who said footage helped him win a felony court case after the judge watched the video. “I think in the courtroom it helps immensely,” he said.
Critical to the final selection was Taser's ability to provide a host of web-based services, including a feature that shows exactly who accesses the video, and the ease of web access for court purposes, Lalley said.
Taser International has outfitted law enforcement with body cameras in 35 of the top 68 largest cities in the United States, including Chicago, Washington, Los Angeles, Seattle and Dallas, said Steve Tuttle, the company's vice president of strategic communications. The city of Chattanooga, Tennessee, approved a contract Tuesday.
The company has been selling body cameras since 2009. In the last couple of years, and in the wake of police-involved shootings that garnered media attention around the country, there's been an “exponential interest” in body cameras, Tuttle said.
“It's game-changing technology for doubt and uncertainty,” Tuttle said.
Elgin police officers will be required to turn on cameras when they are in uniform and engaging in law enforcement-related activities like traffic stops, search warrants and calls for service, Lalley said. Crime victims and witnesses can request the body cameras be turned off, she said.
Lalley said she has had numerous conversations with officers, who had questions like, “Why are we doing this? Does the public not trust us?”
Her response has been, “‘It's not that at all. You just have to change your mindset a little bit,'” she said.
The thoroughness has paid off, Lalley said, because officers overall are “excited” about the arrival of body cameras.
“It's something you embrace and not be afraid of it,” she said.
The city will partner with Loyola University's Center for Criminal Justice Research, Policy and Practice to evaluate how the body cameras might affect the incidence of use of force by officers or complaints by residents, Lalley said.