Chief pursuing body cameras for Muncie police

MUNCIE – In the wake of a series of incidents nationwide — most notably the August police shooting of a Ferguson, Mo., teenager — many U.S. police departments are considering the use of body cameras by their patrol officers.

Add the Muncie Police Department to that list. But Police Chief Steve Stewart said his plans to purchase as many as 90 cameras for his 103-officer department were under way before last summer’s police action shooting in Ferguson.

“I like the concept of the body cameras for two reasons,” Stewart said. “It’s a video record of what happens. The other part is it changes the playing field, not only for the officers, but for the general public.”

The police chief said research suggested the behavior of all participants in police interaction with citizens improves “when they know they’re being recorded.”

“Hopefully it’s a win-win,” he said. “I think it’s important we be as transparent and open to the public as possible.”

Stewart said he would like to have the camera system in place this year, “the sooner the better.”

“We needed them yesterday,” he said. “We’re going to apply for grants. We’re going to (ask whether) some community foundations might be able to help. ... I want to be able to give each officer that is in contact with the public on a regular basis a camera.”

The police chief said his officers would have the cameras on “when they’re on a call, any call.”

At the end of a shift, an officer would plug his camera into a charger, and the images recorded that day would automatically be uploaded to a secure website, Stewart said.

In recent weeks, Muncie officers have field-tested three cameras. Two were a model that is clipped to an officer’s chest. The other device is worn on the face, similar to eyeglasses.

One of the officers testing the devices, Christopher Deegan, is no stranger to cameras.

He previously served on the Indianapolis Airport’s police department, with patrol cars equipped with cameras.

“It’s really not a distraction,” Deegan said of the chest unit, posing few problems “as long as you’re not rolling around.”

Deegan said there are “pros and cons” to using the cameras, suggesting more research might be in order. “It’s too new a technology,” he said.

Another Muncie patrolman who wore the chest camera, Matt Hollans, said it “fell off once” when he was running after a fleeing suspect.

Hollans also said he saw positives and negatives attached to the use of the cameras. He’s also not surprised the concept would not be universally endorsed.

“It’s new,” he said. “Change scares people.”

Delaware County Prosecutor Jeffrey Arnold said the recordings produced by the cameras obviously could prove beneficial in some cases.

“From a prosecutor’s standpoint, trials are about seeking the truth,” he said.

The prosecutor also suggested, however, that the national attention sparked by the incidents in Ferguson and elsewhere has had “a tremendous (negative) impact on morale” of officers nationwide.

While acknowledging all such incidents must be scrutinized, Arnold said, “Most of the time, police officers get it right.”

Noting officers at times have “less than seconds to make critical decisions,” Arnold said he hoped “the wearing of body cameras doesn’t slow them down.”

He said while “the national attitude is (the use of body cameras) is going to change things (in cases like the Ferguson shooting), it’s not.”

Officers will still have to make immediate decisions on whether to use deadly force, Arnold said. In those cases, the cameras will only be a factor in providing documentation after the fact, he added.

The prosecutor acknowledged the cameras would likely produce more polite behavior by those recorded — both the officers and those they interact with.

“I think that is where you’re going to see a change, as it would with a waitress, bank teller, store clerk ...”

In Delaware County, officers with the Daleville Police Department have already started using wearable cameras. And Delaware County Chief Deputy Jason Walker said the sheriff’s department was in the early stages of considering the use of cameras by its deputies.

In Muncie, Police Chief Stewart said the use of body cameras will not be a tool “to punish our officers,” addling the devices have the potential to protect officers from unfounded accusations of misconduct.

“We will own up to our mistakes,” Stewart said. “We’ll let you know when we’re right and we’ll let you know when we’re wrong. The video will sustain those facts.”

Contact news reporter Douglas Walker at (765) 213-5851. You can also follow him on Twitter @DouglasWalkerSP.