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Local law enforcement now equipped with body cameras
In an effort to expand transparency and accountability, nearly all Putnam County law enforcement personnel are now equipped with body cameras in large part thanks to Putnam County Prosecutor Tim Bookwalter.
The purchasing of the new technology, which has been widely endorsed by departments all over the nation to help guard against misconduct and false allegations, came to light following the recent events at the Putnam County Sheriff's Department as well as the death of Michael Brown, an unarmed black teenager killed in Ferguson, Mo., by an officer.
"You can imagine, the Sheriff's Department case recently," Bookwalter explained. "If all those officers would have had these on, I don't think we would have had the problem we had. To me, the technology is there. It's just a no brainer that everybody should have it."
The Taser Axon body cameras will provide an officer's point of view recording, look like a small black box and mount onto an officer's uniform quite easily. Although, the cameras are set to view at all times, officers must push a button on the camera prior to exiting their vehicle to produce a high-definition 130-degree wide angle view along with sound. The camera has a 30-second buffer, so when the record button is pushed one can see an officer's acitivity prior to that time.
"I started researching body cameras before it was really talked about," Fillmore Town Marshal Darrel Bunten explained. "I then got to talking to (Cloverdale Town Marshal) Mike Clark while we were at a training session and found out he had been researching the same exact cameras."
Having a camera model in mind, both Bunten and Clark set up a meeting with Bookwalter to see what funding options were available in October, from there it only took a few weeks until the cameras arrived.
"The neat thing is we got departments together to work on this," Bookwalter said. "My one condition was I only wanted to purchase one piece of equipment. I told them to not get the cheapest, but to get the best and I believe that's what we have."
In total, 34 cameras with four docking stations were purchased at a cost of nearly $17,000, which was taken out of pre-trial diversion funding.
"We paid for them out of pre-trial diversion money," Bookwalter explained. "It is not taxpayer dollars, but funds that are generated from speeding tickets that all the departments write or minor offenses. Every prosecutor in the state has that fund and it's sort of a quick emergency fund instead of waiting for next year's budget."
Officers at the Greencastle, Cloverdale, Fillmore, Roachdale, Bainbridge and Russellville police departments have now had the equipment for more than a month.
The DePauw University Police Department is up next to purchase the cameras using county funding, while the Putnam County Sheriff's Department agreed to purchase them on its own.
"This just takes away all the risk for the public and the police officer," Bookwalter added. "The Sheriff's Department said they'd purchase their own and I believe they have already bought 12 so far."
Having the body cameras along with the in-car cameras, law enforcement officials are hoping that the technology helps resolve and prevent false claims, which in turn will save the county money.
"Our in-car cameras, every allegation that we've been able to pull the video, have exonerated our officers," Greencastle Police Chief Tom Sutherlin said. "The in-car cameras have saved our guys each and every time there has been a complaint filed. However, it just provides one angle."
The Taser Axon cameras, of which the Los Angeles Police Department recently announced it will purchase 7,000, not only provide a better picture quality, but also prevent any tampering with evidence.
"My policy is any time an officer is on any type of call, they're recording," Clark noted. "Then, when they put the camera back on the dock it automatically uploads whatever was recorded securely to ensure no tampering with the video. Bookwalter told us, 'If I buy these you have to use them,' and he's right. You can't be going to court and have a defense attorney ask for the video and not have it. It has made our job much easier. My officers just love them."
With recent public protests, and even a decree from President Barack Obama asking for more transparency in law enforcement, officials are hoping the new technology will not only provide that, but protect both officers and the public.
"I think it's a wonderful idea. I can't fathom that statewide and nationwide we haven't jumped on it," Bookwalter said. "I've always said that it's the best evidence. You play that in court, it is what it is. It's either there or it's not. Hopefully this will protect everybody, the public too."