body camera - WKTV Journal

An example of a police body camera. (Charleston, S.C., Police Department)

By K.D. Norris

The City of Kentwood has announced that the Kentwood Police Department is introducing a body camera program that will include the training and outfitting of all officers with the new technology.

While the department has had in-car cameras since 2000 and some body cameras since 2016, the new program, according to a March 22 statement, is “an effort to enhance accountability and transparency.”

The Kentwood City Commission recently approved a five-year contract with Axon, the largest body camera provider in the U.S., for the equipment and technology. The annual cost for the equipment and technology will be $117,000, according to the statement.

Kentwood Police Department Chief Richard Roberts. (Supplied)

“The Kentwood Police Department has consistently placed great emphasis on community engagement, accountability and transparency,” Kentwood Police Chief Richard Roberts said in supplied material. “With the implementation of this technology, we can build on those efforts to continue to serve our community with excellence and grow trust. We know the trust of our community can only be earned by impartiality and fairness in daily policing functions and outreach to engage and educate the community.”

The Kentwood Police Department has 71 sworn officers serving a community of approximately 51,000 residents “through a variety of programs and community engagement efforts.”

The body camera program, according to the statement, is part of the department’s “longtime commitment to accountability and transparency in order to achieve its mission to reduce serious crime, increase traffic safety and serve the community with excellence.”

The department plans to have all the department’s officers trained and issue them body cameras by the end of May.

“This technology is beneficial for our community and our police officers,” Chief Roberts said. “It serves as another tool to ensure the safety and security of our community and the residents we serve. The Kentwood Police Department appreciates Mayor Kepley and the city commissioners in supporting the department’s goal in implementing this technology.”

KPD joins eight other Kent County agencies that have implemented or are in the process of implementing body cameras.

A tradition of community engagement

The Kentwood Police Department, according to the statement, utilizes a variety of programs and engagement efforts to “strengthen relationships with the community, address immediate needs and ensure safety.”

Operation P.R.I.C.E. was launched in 2014 by the Kentwood Police Department in an effort to curb retail theft along the 28th Street corridor. (Supplied)

The department uses resident satisfaction surveys and continually reviews its policies, procedures, tactics and techniques to ensure all align with federal and state legal standards, as well as best practices in the profession. These include trainings several times a year on multiple tactics and techniques for various types of interactions with community members, and annual review of agency practices.

Among its existing and on-going efforts are:

— A data-driven approach to crime and traffic safety program that integrates location-based crime and traffic data to establish effective and efficient methods for deploying law enforcement and other resources. The goal is to reduce the incidence of crime, crashes and traffic violations in the community.

— An interactive crime mapping portal that further fosters awareness of crimes and builds trust through transparency. Data is automated daily, allowing residents to stay up to date with incidents that occur in their neighborhoods.

— A school resource officer program that is a partnership between KPD, the community and schools to reduce crime, increase security and promote a positive role model between youth and law enforcement. KPD has three dedicated certified police officers assigned to specific school districts in the city.

— Operation P.R.I.C.E., the Preventing Retail Theft Through Initiative, Collaboration and Enforcement, which since 2014 has helped local businesses decrease incidents of retail fraud.

— Drug Take Back program, which provides community members with a free and secure location to safely dispose of unused and/or unwanted prescription medications. This reduces potential accidental poisoning, misuse and overdose.

— Participation in community events such as National Night Out, Touch-A-Truck and Trunk-or-Treat to “build meaningful relationships with residents.” Officers also attend Neighborhood Watch meetings to provide crime and safety information and strengthen community relations.

More information about the Kentwood Police Department is available at kentwood.us/police.

An example of a Kent County Sheriff’s office body camera. (Supplied)

By K.D. Norris

ken@wktv.org

The Kent County Board of Commissioners last week approved a $2.2 million request from county Sheriff Michelle LaJoye-Young to purchase new body cameras for about 200 law enforcement personnel in the Sheriff’s Office, and well as replacement tasers for all officers and replacement in-car cameras for about 83 police cruisers.

“Combined with training and clearly defined protocols for camera use and for public access to video footage, body cameras are shown to be valuable tools to increase the accountability of all parties involved,” according to the Kent County announcement.

WKTV asked Sheriff LaJoye-Young to define those planned protocols for camera use and public access.

“Training is scheduled to happen as soon as we get the full delivery of the equipment and installation in the vehicles — it is a very hands-on training,” Sheriff LaJoye-Young said to WKTV. “We have developed a protocol. It has largely been based on our experience with in-car camera systems, but also on the guidance we have received from other departments who have had body cams in play for awhile. Obviously, protocol is always managed, it constantly gets updated. And so we are going to see how it starts and then adjust it if we need to.

“That protocol will be available (to the public) for people to understand. And they should expect that any time they are dealing directly with an officer who is in uniform and a body cam, that that body cam is recording. They are always free to ask an officer if their camera is recording, and our officers would be required to answer that question.”

Approximately 200 Sheriff’s office uniformed and plainclothes deputies and sergeants, community police officers, undercover officers and other personnel performing law enforcement duties will be equipped with body-worn cameras in the first quarter of 2021.

The funding for the body cameras and other upgrades was transferred from the projected Sheriff’s Office General Fund to the Fiscal Year 2020 Capital Improvement Program Fund, according to the county statement.

“The Board of Commissioners strongly supports Sheriff LaJoye-Young’s commitment to transparency, accountability and effective law enforcement practices,” Board of Commissioners chair Mandy Bolter say in supplied material.

The Sheriff echoed the public transparency aspect of the effort.

“This investment will allow for greater transparency for the residents in our community,” Sheriff LaJoye-Young said in supplied material. “Body cameras offer real-time information about what happened on a call for service or with any public contact. Plus, the footage from these calls can be used in training and monitoring exercises to strengthen the performance of our law enforcement officers in the field.”

According to the county’s announcement, the tasers, in-car video cameras and body cameras “are all part of one seamlessly integrated package” — a package the includes five cameras for the detective bureau interview room and 25 docking stations as well as a service contract at a cost of $75,000 per year for the second through fifth years of use.

“Altogether, this system will allow for a streamlined Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and discovery process, further increasing the Sheriff’s Office transparency,” according to the statement.