ALFRED, Maine – York County Sheriff’s deputies are now outfitted with body-worn cameras – small devices roughly the size of a deck of cards – that video and audio record what happens when officers arrive at a scene – be it a domestic dispute, a report of shots fired, or a traffic stop for suspected impaired driving.
The devices, which were issued about a month ago, are a big step up from the cruiser dash cameras and audio packs instituted by the department a few years ago.
York County Chief Deputy Jeremy Forbes said the body cameras are a benefit – to the officers, to the department, and to the general public.
Body cameras deliver transparency, aid in processing a case through the criminal justice system, and can be used for training and when conducting performance evaluations, Forbes said.
“The (body cameras) see what the officer sees,” said Forbes. He said the video cameras, worn on the chest of an officer’s uniform, have already come in handy.
York County Sheriff William King agreed. He said while there are few complaints filed alleging deputy misconduct, one such allegation was made not long after the body-worn cameras were first instituted.
“In just a few days of their deployment, we had a complaint that two of our deputies were abusive during an arrest – the video footage dispelled that claim completely,” King said. He noted that the body-worn cameras are visible to the public, and that the individual who filed a complaint had been advised several times that the interaction was being recorded.
The cameras turn on automatically when a cruiser’s emergency lights are activated, and if the deputy outside the vehicle, the device is activated manually.
Forbes said deputies are required to wear the body cameras, as are sheriff’s office members of the Special Response Team that includes officers from various departments in York County.
“There are exemptions when they can shut them off, such as interviewing a victim in a sensitive case, in a protected area such as a hospital, mental health facility, church, school, etc.,” said Forbes. He said the department worked with RSU 57 Superintendent Stephen Marquis on guidelines and policies for body camera use by deputies who are school resource officers at Massabesic Middle School and Massabesic High School.
A study conducted for Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey by the Maine Statistical Analysis Center at the Catherine Cutler Institute at the University of Southern Maine shows 70 percent of the law enforcement agencies that responded to their survey require their officers to wear body cameras. The overall response to the survey was 77 percent of Maine’s municipal, county, state, tribal, university and college law enforcement agencies.
York County Sheriff’s Office purchased 30 cameras, which cost about $200,000, budgeted over five years. A modest grant helped.
The cost was cited as the primary barrier for agencies that had indicated they were open to implementation, according to the study by the Maine Statistical Analysis Center.
Agencies that have the cameras tend to like them.
“One (department) leader called the cameras a “lifesaver,” because when a lawsuit is filed against his officers or agency, body-worn camera footage can be used to resolve the dispute,” the study synopsis states. “The evidentiary benefits of footage were noted by all of the stakeholders who were interviewed.”
The study made three recommendations: It supports flexibility and autonomy at the local level by allowing law enforcement agencies to develop their own body-worn camera programs to meet their local needs and their municipal, county, and state budgets. As well, it promotes the use of federal funding assistance, and supports establishment of minimum standards for policy and training.
York County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Robert Nejad, who recently returned to the department after a year serving as a Nevada State Trooper, said he likes the body camera and wore one for every call or traffic stop while working in Nevada.
“I’m a big supporter of body cameras; I’ve got nothing to hide,” said Nejad.
Deputies are allowed to review the footage as they draft their reports, said Forbes – something Nejad said is beneficial.
“It’s good to be able to review and verify what you saw, or see that it didn’t happen the way you thought,” Nejad said.
Overall, said Forbes, deputies are happy about wearing the body cameras.
“It protects them,” Forbes said.
York County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Robert Nejad sports a body-worn camera – deputies began wearing the devices about a month ago. According to a study by the Maine Statistical Analysis Center, 70 percent of law enforcement agencies responding to their survey require their officers to wear body cameras.