Naperville to hire IT administrator to support police body camera program

A plan to equip Naperville police officers with body-worn cameras next year has prompted the creation of a new information technology position focused on implementing and supporting the program.

The body camera mandate outlined in the state's new criminal justice reform legislation takes effect Jan. 1, 2023, for Naperville officers - a deadline set based on the city's population. But getting the technology up and running requires significant preparation to "ensure reduced risks, high quality and on-time delivery," IT Director Jacqueline Nguyen said.

To help guide that process, the Naperville City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved hiring a full-time public safety network administrator whose responsibilities would center around supporting the body camera program and other police-related initiatives.

Officials initially anticipated budgeting for such a position in 2022, Nguyen said, but later requested accelerating the hiring process to this month to "allow active engagement from the start of the program." A lack of focus early on could affect the schedule or overall quality of the body camera project, she said.

"When (technologies are) first introduced to the officers, especially in such a tight time frame, it's important that (they) feel comfortable with the technology, that it works smoothly, it works securely and that they have a positive perception," she said.

A timeline presented to the council calls for holding venue trials, gathering information and evaluating the technology over the next several months before issuing a request for proposals later this year. Vendor selection and contract negotiations are expected to take place early next year, followed by the testing, training and implementation processes.

The goal is to go live in the third quarter of 2022, Nguyen said.

The police department is anticipating a spike in resources needed to review the video footage from 177 body cameras, respond to Freedom of Information requests and meet all state requirements, Police Chief Robert Marshall said. Hiring a network administrator is crucial to managing the program's technical components, he said.

"It's huge. It's very important," Marshall said. "This is a very complex project that requires cooperation from (several) departments."

The annual salary and benefits for the new role is estimated at $121,106, according to a memo from Nguyen. Staff members are confident the partial-year cost of creating the position earlier than expected can be absorbed in the 2021 budget, she said.

Some council members, including Patty Gustin and Paul Hinterlong, questioned whether it would be more cost-effective to hire a consultant to complete the work. But Nguyen stressed the need for long-term support and consistency as public safety programs evolve.

The network administrator will be responsible for implementing and maintaining any network, storage, platform, security and technical training needed for the body camera program. Looking ahead, she said, the employee also is expected to have a hand in the upcoming replacement of patrol car cameras, "which has high interdependencies with the body-worn camera initiative."

"There needs to be an opportunity for this staff (member) to basically maintain continuity with all technologies in the public safety realm," Nguyen said.

City officials said they are exploring grants and other potential cost savings in hopes of easing the financial burden of the body camera program.