Miami Beach Police Launch Body Camera Program
Follow CBSMIAMI.COM: Facebook | Twitter
MIAMI (CBSMiami) - Miami Beach cops began clipping on body cams Tuesday. They've been testing them for a while. Eventually every officer will be taping, but only police work.
"Anything that's enforcement or investigative related," will be recorded, said department Training Officer Will Collado.
Exchanging pleasantries with colleagues, or answering routine questions from citizens or visitors will not be recorded.
The beach has begun by outfitting ten motorcycle officers with cameras. The goal is to eventually equip every officer with a chest-mounted camera at a cost of some $3 million.
"What's happening in America in the last year is we've been subject to a lot of scrutiny," said Police Chief Dan Oates. "There's obviously a political will that body cameras appear on police officers and it's been happening across the country."
Click here to watch Gary Nelson's report.
Across the country there has been a growing disconnect between cops and communities with police behavior coming under question, prompting riots last year in Ferguson, MO and last month in Baltimore, MD.
The police body cams are almost universally opposed by police unions that call them a dangerous distraction for cops.
"When he can turn it on, when he has to shut it off, all those things taking his mind away from the focus where it needs to be," said John Rivera, president of Miami-Dade County's Police Benevolent Association.
No question, the body cams are not picture perfect.
"There are a lot of limitations to this technology," said Chief Oates.
Often the camera does capture what happened, is pointed in the wrong direction or in close quarters. But the audio sometimes tells the story, as in Tulsa, OK earlier this year when a reserve deputy shot and killed a man. On the body camera audio the officer can be heard saying, "Oh, I shot him. I'm sorry."
The deputy thought he had pulled his Taser gun but had pulled his service pistol instead.
No question, body camera systems are expensive.
"There's a large cost up front," said Professor Howard Wasserman, who teaches evidence and civil rights law at Florida International University.
Wasserman believes the body cameras are worth the cost, however, in terms of building trust between government and citizens.
"The upside is they provide another bit of evidence, another bit of information that allows us to evaluate the situation," Wasserman said.
As for body cams being unaffordable, Wasserman said they can pay for themselves by protecting cities against expensive lawsuits when they show an officer did not behave inappropriately.
They could also help avoid huge losses of property and business, such as occurred in Ferguson and Baltimore.
