Seattle Police Department set to begin testing body cameras

Twelve Seattle police officers will begin using new body-worn cameras next week in a closely-watched pilot project, Seattle Mayor Ed Murray and Police Chief Kathleen O’Toole confirmed this week.

“Body cameras have been a long-time coming and they are finally here,” Murray said at a news conference flanked by police staff and several officers modeling the new cameras.

“This tool will improve community policing and support accountability for our officers. Above all, they will make our neighborhoods safer,” Murray said.

Under the pilot program, the 12 officers from the East Precinct – which includes Capitol Hill – will test out two different systems in trials lasting 60-90 days each.

The officers have all volunteered for the program and will undergo extensive training before they begin using the cameras.

The policy was developed in consultation with a number of different groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union and Community Police Commission.

“The Seattle Police Department has developed a policy that strikes a good balance between privacy and the use of these cameras,” Murray said.

The officers will manually control the cameras. Under the policy, they will record activity such as responses to 911 calls, traffic stops, arrests and seizures and questioning of suspects or witnesses. They are required to notify people they are being recorded as soon as practical.

To protect privacy, the policy specifically prohibits recording people demonstrating or exercising other protected rights, and in places where a heightened expectation of privacy exists such as restrooms, jails or hospitals, unless they believe a crime is in progress or the recording is part of a criminal investigation.

Veteran officer Deb Pelich is one of the 12 who’ll take part in the pilot. While police frequently come under scrutiny and criticism, she says she welcomes the cameras and hopes they’ll give the public a truer representation of all that police encounter.

“I’m all about transparency and we need to stay up with technology. We’re public servants.”

While the pilot comes in the wake of the widespread protests sparked by recent controversial decisions in Ferguson, Mo. and New York, officials point out the department had been exploring body cams for some time and was working on the pilot project well before the Ferguson incident.

Once the pilot is concluded, officials will review the results in close consultation with various groups and then decide whether to seek to expand it in the future. One key issue will be cost. The pilot will cost the city $150,000 for just the 12 officers. And Murray admits outfitting the entire department could be difficult.

“We’ve got some financial challenges,” he said.