A small camera captured every detail of a police-action shooting in Greenwood during the weekend, from the moment the officer turned it on after being called to the home.
This is the second time this year a body camera has captured a police shooting in Greenwood, and officials said the video has proven itself to be valuable in multiple situations, including when police have to use force or when someone makes a complaint against an officer.
Now, Greenwood police are preparing to enter a five-year, $340,000 contract to get new cameras and Tasers for every road officer and unlimited storage space for video.
The Johnson County Sheriff’s Office has had deputies try out different types of cameras and is talking with a vendor about the cost of the equipment and storing the videos, Sheriff Doug Cox said.
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Click here to purchase photos from this galleryFranklin police do not use body cameras, and whether the city should use them is an ongoing discussion between the mayor, police department and legal department about legal and privacy issues and the cost of storage, Franklin Mayor Joe McGuinness said.
Cost, especially to store the videos from the cameras, continues to be a key issue, officials said.
Greenwood police are able to afford a large part of the new contract — about $240,000 — from money seized in drug investigations, including when a man was found with more than $2 million in cash and cocaine in a Greenwood hotel room in 2015, Greenwood Police Assistant Chief Matt Fillenwarth said. Multiple agencies split the money from that investigation.
The new cameras will come with new technology, including turning on automatically when an officer nearby draws his or her Taser and capturing a wider, high-definition view. And officials are closely watching new technology the company has been researching, including a prototype for a switch that would automatically turn on officers’ body cameras when they draw their gun, Fillenwarth said. They are also looking at adding similar technology in patrol cars to turn on cameras when officers’ lights are activated.
That is helpful, since sometimes a situation escalates so quickly that officers don’t have time to activate their cameras, he said.
Under the contract, Greenwood police will get new cameras in 2½ years and then again at the end of the five years, he said. They will also get new Tasers, he said.
When Greenwood first began looking into body cameras, officers raised concerns about them being used by supervisors to check up on officers. But now, the officers want the cameras and make sure their equipment is working and is fixed immediately if something goes wrong, he said.
The cameras were used in a police-action shooting in June when a man fled from police and then pulled out a gun at a busy southside intersection, and for other incidents, such as when officers use force or a complaint is made. The video documents incidents in detail, without having to rely on anyone’s memory of the incident, he said.
“It’s not just the officer’s word, but it’s collaborated with what you see on video or hear,” Fillenwarth said.
Cost is the main reason sheriff’s deputies do not all have new video cameras right now, Cox said.
He has already seen how valuable cameras can be after a deputy’s in-car camera captured a 2013 police-action shooting, and an Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officer’s body camera captured a police-action shooting in 2015, he said. Having those incidents on video makes sure there is little question about what happened, allowing cases to be resolved and deputies to get back to work faster, he said.
“With all that is going on out here today, I just think it is the right thing to equip our guys,” Cox said.
“I wish we could have had them already.”
Cox paid close attention to state lawmakers’ debate and decisions regarding rules for the cameras, when to release information to the public and how long video should be stored.
Now that those decisions have been made, including a requirement that all video be kept for at least 190 days and other incidents be kept longer, his main concern is what the county can afford for video storage. Cox will be looking at a contract for two years, since that is how long he has left as sheriff, he said.
Franklin police do not use body cameras, though the issue has been discussed, McGuinness said.
Officials have concerns about privacy and legal issues, along with the cost of storing the video, he said.
One concern is about public access to the videos, including who has access to them and whether that raises privacy concerns, such as if an officer takes video while inside a home, McGuinness said. The city has been waiting on the state to make more determinations about those issues, including through state legislation and lawsuits, he said.
State lawmakers approved legislation earlier this year addressing how long videos must be stored, and that departments can decide to withhold video from the public and must justify their reason why, such as if releasing it would affect an ongoing investigation or criminal trial.
Officials also are concerned about the cost of storing the videos, since that can add up, he said.
The issue of whether to get the cameras is an ongoing discussion, McGuinness said.
Under Greenwood’s new contract, all videos could be stored as long as officials want. But that likely won’t be what the department does, Fillenwarth said. They will likely still follow the 190 days the state requires for most videos, he said.
Officers turn in up to eight or 9 hours of video per day, he said.
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Here is a look at the use of body cameras by local police departments:
Franklin Police Department
Does not use because of concerns over privacy, legal issues and the cost to store the video.
Greenwood Police Department
Every road officer and supervisor wears a body camera. The department is preparing to enter a five-year contract with new cameras and unlimited storage.
Johnson County Sheriff’s Office
Deputies have tried several cameras and officials are looking into the best price for cameras and video storage.
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