Police use videos for evidence and training

No one but those at the scene knows exactly what happened in the moments before Ferguson, Missouri, police officer Darren Wilson shot unarmed teenager Michael Brown last month.

No video exists of the interactions between Wilson and Brown, 18, before the Aug. 9 shooting, which sparked massive protests and drew national attention to concerns about police accountability and officers' use of deadly force.

Last week, the Springfield, Missouri, News-Leader quoted Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., as saying police departments should be required to outfit officers with body cameras as a condition of receiving federal funds.

In Southeast Missouri, some departments already use such cameras, and others were considering the idea even before the shooting in Ferguson.

Body and dash cameras

Three Cape Girardeau police officers received body-worn cameras to test in early July.

Cape Girardeau Police Department public information officer Darin Hickey said police used the cameras -- which were on loan from TASER International -- for about six weeks.

"The officers that tested them out really liked them and saw a lot of benefit to them," he said.

Hickey said the department plans to test equipment from other companies and explore its options before deciding what to purchase.

"We started this research about a year ago, looking into these things," he said.

Cape Girardeau police do not use either body-worn or dashboard-mounted cameras, Hickey said.

They sometimes use audio recording devices, he said, but the devices aren't used in every instance, and they aren't foolproof, as batteries may run down, or the devices may be shut off inadvertently.

"This is taking it a step further," Hickey said. " ... We try to go above and beyond with documentation."

Jackson police chief James Humphreys said his department has used dashboard cameras for about 10 years. Two of the newer cameras have an attachment that allows them to be body-worn, he said.

"If you respond to a domestic dispute or whatever it might be, you can leave your car and still have the camera mobile," Humphreys said.

He said the department plans to acquire three more of the dual-function cameras -- which cost about $1,200 each -- next year.

"I can't buy them all at once, so I try to pick the guys who maybe make more traffic stops than the next guy," Humphreys said.

Ultimately, he would like every officer in the department to have one, he said.

Perry County, Missouri, Sheriff Gary Schaaf said his department uses cameras in patrol cars for emergency response and traffic stops, and officers also have pocket cameras they can use while working away from their vehicles.

"We've had cameras for years," he said.

In addition to the Cape Girardeau Police Department, the Perryville, Missouri, Police Department and Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's Department are looking into body-worn cameras, authorities said.

Perryville city manager Brent Buerck said the Perryville Police Department's regular patrol units all have on-dash cameras.

The Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's Department has just one dashboard camera, Capt. David James said.

"I think we've got one in our DWI enforcement car," he said. "That's the only one that we have."

Cape Girardeau does not have any of the dashboard cameras, which Hickey said can cost $4,000 to $6,000 each.

"Cost is a big factor when it comes to any technology," he said.

James said body-worn cameras cost $400 to $800 per officer, with software and accessories driving the cost even higher.

Data storage also gets expensive, Hickey said.

Schaaf said his department uses consumer-grade pocket cameras instead of the body-worn cameras designed for law enforcement.

They aren't as reliable as officers would like, but they help with evidence collection, he said.

"They're kind of fickle. Sometimes they work, and sometimes they don't," Schaaf said.

Equipment designed for police use is more expensive than similar consumer products, in part because it includes security features that help protect the integrity of the recordings, Hickey said.

"Law-enforcement cameras can't be tampered with," he said. "They're encrypted to where anything that's done to it, it's documented in every system."

While a police video can be copied and edited, the original cannot be altered, Hickey said.

"These are uneditable," he said.

Advantages

Humphreys said his department's cameras have helped establish offenders' guilt in court.

"We've seen higher conviction rates and just a number of positive things with the cameras," he said.

Schaaf said cameras also help protect officers from false accusations.

He said in some instances, officers have been accused of wrongdoing, but the cameras disproved the allegations.

Humphreys said after his department got dashboard cameras, false complaints against officers decreased.

"Those have dropped off since we got the cameras," he said.

At the same time, the cameras increase accountability for officers, who know their supervisors may pull videos at random to check their professionalism and compliance with safety procedures, Humphreys said.

"Those have really helped the officers be more alert, knowing they're going to be critiqued," he said.

Humphreys said in addition to grants and local funding, the city's insurance company provides the department with one free camera per year. "There's nothing better than to have a video speak for itself when it comes to allegations or disproving them. ... I almost hate to see an officer without one, to be honest with you," he said.

Schaaf said he would recommend cameras to other departments.

"We like them. They work good for us," he said.

epriddy@semissourian.com

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Cape Girardeau, MO

Jackson, MO

Perry County, MO

Cape Girardeau County, MO