St. Louis County police to put body cameras on officers

Within this month, about half of St. Louis County police officers in US will be recording every call for service using tiny video cameras on their chests, glasses, or collars. Several companies are lending free technology to police departments in hope of landing lucrative contracts in an industry that surged after a national outcry about the Ferguson police shooting. In St. Louis County, 188 police officers will be using cameras in the north and central county precincts, as well as in Jennings and Dellwood. 

For the next 90 days, the department will experiment with different types of cameras and approaches. Some officers will be assigned cameras, some will share among shifts. The experience will help officials decide which devices to buy, and how many.

“Given the events in Ferguson and the skepticism that’s been directed at law enforcement, we have to take steps to ensure the public trust,” Belmar said. 

Noting the wide prevalence of surveillance and cellphone video, he added, “There are cameras on us all the time. Why wouldn’t we want to take advantage of this and make sure it’s in context?” The devices cost from $300 to $700. Belmar said his department likely will use money seized from criminals to buy them.

“This is something that should have happened years ago, but didn’t because of funding restraints,” he said. 

St. Louis County will be among the largest police forces in the country to deploy the technology to all its officers. The New York City police announced a pilot project last week. Ferguson police began using donated body cameras after Officer Darren Wilson fatally shot 18-year-old Michael Brown about a month ago. Some departments have used cameras for years, and research shows they result in fewer citizen complaints and fewer use-of-force incidents, said Michael White, a criminologist at Arizona State University.

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