A.G. Gancarski
When it comes to body cameras for police in Jacksonville, nothing has come easy. And Sheriff Mike Williams has evolved on the matter.
“There are just too many issues related to body cameras for JSO officers at this time. More discussion is necessary,” Williams said in 2015 on the campaign trail.
Activists persevered, however, and by late 2016 moves were being made toward a pilot program for body cameras — one that the Fraternal Order of Police objected to, as the terms of such had not been collectively bargained.
Despite those union objections, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office pushed through, with its contention that cameras were not subject to collective bargaining.
All of this prologue led up to a Thursday evening announcement of next steps in the body camera program.
Sheriff Mike Williams noted the department’s intention to build the “body camera program the right way,” spotlighting a draft policy for the program.
“Other cities have done this in fits and starts,” Williams said, noting that JSO rolled out its program after 15 months of deliberation.
“We have studied policies from around the country,” Williams said, and the draft policy is subject to revision, with policy changes communicated to the community at large.
While not a “silver bullet,” Williams noted the investigative value of footage in investigating crimes.
Footage will not be editable or redacted by officers, but they will be able to review footage in filling out a police report.
In cases of reasonable expectations of privacy, officers can turn the camera off, Williams said.
A boost in IT capacity, part of the current year’s budget, was credited with creating the capacity for storage of footage, Williams said.
Meanwhile, Williams added, the current pilot is of no cost to taxpayers; however, the FY 18 JSO budget has money allocated to the program, ahead of actual equipment purchases a year out.
Footage can be stored for up to 50 years, Williams said, in certain cases. In most cases, footage should be requested within 90 days to ensure that footage can be procured.
“Body camera programs are not a panacea … but they are a great tool for the community,” Williams said.
