Mayor Joe Schember, who wants to implement body cameras for officers permanently in 2020, says such a system will cost the city roughly $1 million over five years.

Body cameras are poised to get a trial run with the Erie Bureau of Police.

Erie Mayor Joe Schember said the city plans to test body camera systems for patrol officers sometime in 2019 in the hope of selecting a system to implement permanently within the 173-member Erie Bureau of Police sometime in 2020.

Schember said the city plans to test at least three body-camera systems in 2019. He said the city is taking a methodical approach because the city believes the cost of equipment and data storage will be more than $1 million over five years.

However, Schember said, the city is committed to putting the cameras in place for patrol officers. The city has already tested dash cameras in some of its patrol vehicles.

"Body cameras protect everybody," Schember said. "They protect police, they protect the public. I know it won't be a complete view of every incident. But they will give us objective views of an incident."

Police Chief Dan Spizarny and other command staff for several months have worked to draft policies and procedures regarding body cameras, determine what system might be best for the city and pinpoint the overall cost.

In previous interviews with the Erie Times-News, Schember has repeatedly said he wants to put a plan in place by the end of 2018 to equip city police with body cameras so the city has another widespread video recording mechanism for patrol officers.

Schember's $81.9 million 2019 budget proposal, which is being deliberated by Erie City Council, does not include funding for body cameras. However, Schember said he remains committed to the initiative, as well as to finding long-term ways to fund it.

Schember has said that body cameras can help clarify exactly what happens during citizen encounters with police officers.

In an interview this past week, Spizarny said police officials continue to "review all of the different companies out there to see which ones we like the best," regarding body cameras.

Further, Spizarny said, "We took multiple policies from different agencies and departments, actual policies and model policies, and are drafting a policy for body-worn cameras that is about 90 to 95 percent done. We've been collecting information on some different systems out there."

Spizarny said Schember "has expressed he wants us to continue working on it, but do it right."

Spizarny said he is part of a group of police officers that will draft policies and procedures for the department regarding body cameras. Erie police have examined how other cities, including Pittsburgh, have incorporated the cameras into their departments.

About half of Pittsburgh's roughly 900 police officers are now equipped with body cameras, according to officials there. The cameras cost about $500 each.

Mayor Bill Peduto has announced he wants to spend another $337,000 to fully fund body cameras for nearly all officers, including the chief of police.

Erie police have also reviewed FBI and U.S. Department of Justice recommendations about body-camera usage in law enforcement, as well as data from colleges, universities and various experts who have studied the effect and effectiveness of body cameras.

City Council President Sonya Arrington applauded the testing plans.

"We need it," said Arrington, who has been vocal about the often tense relationship between city police and some segments of the public, including Erie's black community. Arrington believes body cameras can provide crucial details about interactions between the police and citizens.

Councilwoman Liz Allen agreed.

"With public safety, we want to do everything we can to build and restore trust between the community and the police department," Allen said.

Spizarny said various body camera systems include those that are integrated with patrol-vehicle mounted recording systems.

City police in late 2017 tested a dash camera system as a possible alternative to body cameras. Then-Police Chief Donald Dacus said at the time that the bureau was testing the vehicle-mounted video and audio recording system, which was placed in one patrol vehicle, in its desire to outfit 34 patrol vehicles with small cameras mounted inside the front windshield and in the back seat to film activity on the street and the actions of suspects taken into custody.

Dacus said in November 2017 that it was his hope to submit a proposal to city officials and City Council for installing dash cameras in the patrol fleet if the system proved valuable through testing.

Spizarny said testing on the dash camera continued after the new administration took over this year and he was named as police chief. He said dash cameras are still an option, but having a dash-camera system integrated with body cameras "technologically seems to be a better option."

Spizarny said the police bureau will also "absolutely" explore the possibility of adding more license plate scanning cameras to its patrol cameras, given the initial success of a roughly $20,000 scanning camera system the Pennsylvania Auto Theft Prevention Authority provided to Erie police earlier this fall.

The three-camera system, which is installed in a two-officer patrol car, reads the license plates of moving and parked vehicles and can alert the officers to vehicles reported as stolen, license plates reported as stolen, wanted individuals associated with a license plate, expired license plates and plates on vehicles with expired insurance, Spizarny said.

He said the bureau expects the system will also be able to identify vehicles with numerous unpaid parking tickets, and that information will be passed along to the bureau's "boot" officers to place a boot on the vehicle.

"It's technology that helps the officers in the field," Spizarny said.

The camera system has scanned about 250,000 license plates since it was put into service in October, Erie police Capt. Rick Lorah said.

Officers have made 12 arrests, recovered three stolen vehicles, recovered one stolen license plate and issued more than 50 traffic citations through the system's use, Lorah said.

Kevin Flowers can be reached at 870-1693 or by email. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/ETNflowers.

Tim Hahn can be reached at 870-1731 or by email. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/ETNhahn.