Orleans Police Chief: Time Has Come For Body Cameras

ORLEANS – Scott MacDonald wasn’t about to rush into bringing body camera technology into the Orleans Police Department. But as the technology becomes increasingly utilized by police across the Cape and the country, the town’s police chief was clear in his recommendation to the select board earlier this month.

“Without a doubt, it is time,” he said of introducing the use of body cameras to the police department.

The police department is ready to move ahead with Axon body-worn cameras, which MacDonald said police should be outfitted with by next summer.

MacDonald reiterated that he did not rush into the decision to move ahead with the technology, telling the select board Sept. 9 that he allowed time to let other departments spend the money and learn from the technology first.

But the chief cited statistics showing that roughly half of police departments in the United States had employed body cameras as of 2016. Today, he said, their use is effectively “standard practice” in law enforcement.

“I like to think we have this wonderful community where we don’t have to be dealing with stuff like this,” he said. “But there are a lot of wonderful communities that have run into some critical incidents, and they had this technology.”

The benefits of using body cameras are many, MacDonald said. They allow for more transparency in police operations, he said, adding that the cameras also create more accountability for police and the public alike. MacDonald said there have been many cases where video footage has been used to address complaints raised against the conduct of specific officers. 

Body cameras can also be useful when it comes to officer training, MacDonald said.

“We can go back and review how officers conducted themselves, and when necessary we can make improvements.”

But there are also things that need to be considered in adopting the technology, MacDonald said. Specifically, he said the technology could increase the number of public records requests received by the department, which is already “inundated” with them, he said.

“We really don’t know what that’s going to look like at this point,” he said.

Town Manager Kim Newman said fake record requests only compound the demand placed upon town and police officials. She said fake requests from “A.I. generated data bots” are received everyday, but still need to be responded to in accordance with the state law.

“It’s a beast, I have to say,” she said.

Select Board Chair Mefford Runyon suggested that additional positions be created specifically to address the request for public records and body camera footage. But MacDonald said police would still need to be involved to edit or redact footage as needed, such as in the case of video showing a minor. 

Others on the board asked about how body camera footage will be stored. MacDonald said the department would utilize a cloud-based storage system, and that police and representatives from Axon, the camera vendor, would have access to the footage.

“I think we’ve all accepted the fact that this is the future, and we believe there are necessary security protocols in place to try and protect that information the best we can,” he said.

But for all the work and complexities that might be involved in bringing the cameras online, MacDonald said it is worth the effort to better protect both police and the community at large. He said Deputy Police Chief Sean Diamond is in the process of finalizing a draft policy for how the cameras can and cannot be used, which will then be reviewed by town counsel as well as the local police union.

“They signed onto this and they understand, this is where the profession is and this is what society expects,” he said.

With a policy in place, the cameras could be delivered to the department in two to three months. But he said that additional time will be built in to train officers and get them accustomed to using the equipment. 

Select Board member Kevin Galligan also advocated for the police to conduct information sessions with the public to address the questions and concerns that might exist around the use of the cameras.

“Get those questions asked and answered in an informal setting,” he said.