Officials from both the Milton Police Department and the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office say there are currently no plans to place body cameras on active law enforcement officers anytime soon.
The debate on whether issued body cameras should be utilized by active police officers stems from recent incidents in which law enforcement actions were called into question. One incident in particular involved the shooting death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri last August. The use of body cameras would allow law enforcement officials to investigate complaints of excessive force or racial bias.
Wendall Hall, the Sheriff of the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office, said the department is currently not looking into buying any type of body camera equipment. In a statement from the SRSO, Hall believes there is “too many unanswered questions” regarding the use of the equipment.
“The questions range from a person’s basic Constitutional rights to the storage of video and the usage of the equipment,” Hall said.
In his statement, Hall said there are definite benefits to using such equipment.
“The use of cameras certainly has a place within law enforcement. These systems can be used for the protection of the public as well as the protection of officers,” Hall said. “On occasion, it can capture important behaviors which can be beneficial to the criminal justice process.”
Hall did not rule out the potential use of body camera in the future should lawmakers address those concerns.
While the sheriff’s office questions whether the cameras should be used or not, the Milton Police Department states such equipment is fiscally unattainable.
In an email, Milton Police Chief Gregory Brand simply stated “Finances” was the basic issue as to why the city’s police officers do not use body camera equipment.
According to an article on National Public Radio website, a single body camera unit can cost upwards of $400. NPR.org also reports police departments in larger cities in the country, like New Orleans and Albuquerque, are using body cameras.
Earlier this month, Pensacola Mayor Ashton Hayward announced officers with the Pensacola Police Department will begin to wear body cameras. A press release from Hayward’s office said the deployment of the cameras came after nearly a year of planning, testing and training.
The release states the purchased body cameras will activate anytime police business is conducted.
The Pensacola Police Department purchased 55 cameras and support software at a total cost of $95,000.
Pensacola Police Sgt. Bruce Martin, who also serves as the department’s video system administrator, believes there is only an upside to having body cameras.
“This gives us an opportunity to collect better, more complete evidence and (we ) believe it will also help in reducing complaints against officers,” he said.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: SRC Law Enforcement: No plans for body cameras