Advocates for police reform want them. The governor wants them. The mayor wants them. The police chief wants them. The common ground in conversations about reforming policing in Ohio, it seems, is a unanimous desire for more police body cameras.
The cameras, which Toledo police and many other departments have begun using in recent years, offer both the officers and the citizens with whom they interact important protection. The cameras, in fact, are important to building the trust between the police and the community that is essential.
Toledo officials should act swiftly on a proposal to expand TPD’s use of body cameras and acquire enough cameras for every officer to wear one.
As Councilman Larry Sykes said, the expense in fully outfitting the force with cameras can be offset with savings in avoided lawsuits.
Toledo police began using body cameras in 2015 and the department has gradually added more over time, though not all officers have worn them.
Mr. Sykes’ proposal would call for all officers, including the gang task force and SWAT officers, to wear the cameras.
Universal camera use is backed by Gov. Mike DeWine, Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz, and Chief George Kral, as well as the police-reform activists concerned with clashes between police and protesters in the city in the weeks since the death of George Floyd.
Body cameras, as well as patrol car dashboard cameras, provide a crucial oversight tool — footage of interaction between police and anyone they encounter on duty. The video captured by those body cameras can get to the truth, rooting out the bad actors on the force and also contradicting false claims of excessive force or other misconduct.
In Toledo alone, such camera footage has been key in resolving several incidents, including the 2018 fatal police shooting of Lamar Richardson. The mayor and chief credit the quick release of footage from that incident with refuting rumors and defusing rising tensions in the city.
And body camera footage figures to play an important role in getting to the bottom of complaints about police conduct during May 30 protests in the city.
Building trust between officers and the neighborhoods they protect is essential for public safety. Police body cameras have proven they are invaluable at building this trust.
Toledo must invest in a body-camera program that outfits every officer on the force.
First Published June 25, 2020, 4:00 a.m.
