Aiming for transparency, Mebane Police Department to equip officers with body cameras
Every Mebane police officer will soon be issued a new body-worn camera.
The city council recently granted the department’s request to make Axon Enterprise, an Arizona-based company, its sole vendor.
The cameras were included in the police budget for 2022, but the department needed approval to make Axon Enterprise its sole vendor.
“I am very proud of our Police Department in everything they do," said Mayor Ed Hooks. "This decision by the chief reinforces the transparency by which he runs his department [and he] continues to excel in making the Mebane Police Department a great part of our team at the City of Mebane.”
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The department will purchase 38 cameras, which will equip all patrol officers and criminal investigators. Only four command staff members will not have them, according to police Chief Terrence Caldwell.
Caldwell says the department has not been involved in any controversies in the past several years, but the cameras will play an important role in investigations.
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“We have been fortunate not to have any incidents in the last several years where body-worn cameras would have been instrumental in determining the outcome of the interaction,” says Caldwell. “Our overall complaint numbers might even have one question the investment, [but] value cannot be placed on transparency and accountability in today’s world."
While the Mebane Police Department has been experimenting with body-worn cameras for about two years now, this new agreement will offer the department more advanced cameras, says Caldwell. About a year ago, patrol officers were unable to use cameras donated to the department by another law enforcement agency because the cameras were outdated. That's what provided the impetus to purchase these more advanced cameras.
"We developed a policy and moved towards implementation of the cameras, however, we would discover that the donated cameras were outdated," he said. "Hence, the purchase of new body-worn cameras for our department."
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Axon Enterprise will also be responsible for the storage of all footage recorded on the devices and the policy for releasing the recordings will follow existing laws governing the release of dash camera footage to the public.
While all the cameras will be obtained at once, payment for them will be spread out over five years, Caldwell told council members. The total cost for the cameras is $374,050, with the city paying almost $40,000 in fiscal year 2021. The city budgeted $77,973 in the 2022 fiscal year and will pay $85,399 for each of the following three fiscal years.
"Mebane has a high quality police force and a history of strong relationships in our community," says Councilmember Johnathan White. "Body-worn cameras can increase transparency and trust, and help protects citizens and officers."
This article originally appeared on Times-News: Body-worn cameras to be issued to Mebane police officers
