Shrewsbury police begin body camera trial as other Central Mass. towns adopt cameras
SHREWSBURY - The Police Department began a pilot program for implementing body cameras on police officers Friday, joining several other Worcester County municipalities in adopting the devices.
“Equipping our officers with body worn cameras has been a goal of the Shrewsbury Police Department," Police Chief Kevin Anderson said in a statement. "This program represents our commitment to 21st-century policing, which we place emphasis on transparency, and building trust and legitimacy between our department and the community that we serve."
On Friday, eight patrol officers and two patrol sergeants began wearing the cameras. The 10 officers, making up part of the force, volunteered to be the first to pilot the program, according to the department. The program is intended to help the department evaluate the technology and staffing.
The second phase of the program is expected to begin this fall, involving the fitting of the remaining officers with a Motorola V300 body camera.
The cameras were purchased through state funds.
In just the past two weeks, police departments in Southborough and Grafton also announced the start of body camera programs. All patrol officers in both departments will be equipped with cameras. Grafton is using Motorola Watchguard 300 cameras while Southborough is using Axon 3 cameras. Both purchased the cameras with grant funding.
Southborough Chief Ryan Newell said Monday the department wanted to increase public confidence in officers and cited studies finding that body cameras reduced public complaints about police interactions.
For Worcester, the largest city in the county, the journey to equipping 300 officers with cameras in late February took several years.
The city and police have discussed body cameras since September 2014, and a pilot program outfitting 20 officers with the devices ran from May to November 2019.
The pilot was followed by community listening sessions and an evaluation, and the police secured funding for the cameras in January 2022.
Demand for bodycams after Floyd murder
After the 2020 national protests sparked by the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officers and other killings of Black people in police custody, advocates and elected officials have called for police departments to wear body cameras to add more accountability to officers.
Body camera programs have received widespread support in the state government. A survey conducted by the Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association found that 75% of departments in both cities and towns were interested in starting a program.
However, according to State House News Service, lawmakers said in early 2022 that only 10% of municipal police departments in Massachusetts have a body-worn camera program in operation. In the MetroWest area, departments have cited cost, storage of recorded video, union negotiations and a lack of direction from the state for reasons why cameras have not been implemented.
Furthermore, State House News Service reports that district attorneys are finding that their statewide network that handles the body camera footage is getting overloaded.
The district attorneys are requesting the state grant funding to upgrade the connection speeds at 20 of their office locations across the state and upgrade the Massachusetts District Attorneys Association's uplink to the Executive Office of Technology Services and Security.
According to the Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association, a quick survey indicated that 31 towns in Worcester County have a body camera program.
A survey of towns bordering Worcester and several others in the county conducted by the T&G found several have adopted or are planning to adopt body cameras.
Last November, Gov. Charlie Baker awarded $2.5 million in state funding to begin or expand the use of body cameras to 32 municipalities. Fitchburg, Southborough, Barre, Athol, Charlton and Paxton were among the municipalities that received grant funding.
Fitchburg police Chief Ernest Martineau said the department ordered 90 camera units in January, which now are starting to arrive. Cameras are expected in the field field by July, Martineau said.
Barre Chief James Sabourin said the department purchased 15 body cameras. The cameras have been delivered and a policy is in place, but Sabourin said the department is waiting to finalize its union contract. Barre police anticipates deployment will begin in July.
Charlton police Sgt. Anthony Gribbons said the department is evaluating the products on the market to determine which camera program would best fit Charlton police's needs.
Athol Sgt. Jarret Mousseau said the department has received 25 cameras to be worn by patrol officers and they are undergoing a four- to six-week training program. The cameras are expected to be deployed after the six weeks of training, Mousseau said.
Leicester police has 21 Motorola body cameras, Chief Kenneth Antanavica said. Following a pilot program, Antanavica said the cameras went into mandatory wear in March.
The Millbury Police Department does not currently wear body cameras and no money for cameras is budgeted in the town's fiscal 2024 budget, Chief Brian Lewos said.
The Auburn, Paxton, Holden and West Boylston police departments did not return calls for comment.
In addition, Southbridge Chief Shane Woodson said uniformed Southbridge officers will be wearing body-worn cameras by summer. Woodson said Southbridge and received grant funding last year and the union agreed to wear them last July. However, their vendor was hit with a supply chain issue delaying the delivery of the department's server.
Woodson said the server is expected to be delivered in May.
Sturbridge police Chief Earl Dessert said officers wear body cameras while on patrol.
Westborough police have had body cameras since last year, Sgt. Michael Daniels said. The department purchased 40 cameras with 35 to be worn by patrol staff and five available as spares.
This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Shrewsbury police begin body camera pilot program
