ACTON — Chief James Cogan is pleased to report that the Acton Police Department has completed a pilot program and is now deploying body-worn cameras department wide.
The pilot program, which involved four patrol officers and two supervisors, began last August and lasted until this month, when police issued body-worn cameras to all full-time, sworn police officers and installed cruiser mounted cameras in all marked patrol vehicles.
Purchase of this equipment was made possible thanks to a more than $135,000 grant from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Office of Grants and Research, as well as a $100,000 appropriation from Acton Town Meeting.
“We are excited to be taking this major step to increase the transparency of the Acton Police Department,” said Chief Cogan. “We have been working on our pilot program and fully deploying body-worn and cruiser mounted cameras for almost a year now, and we have finally achieved our goal of deploying the cameras with all of our officers.”
Prior to the launch of the program, the department completed research into policy and best practices, vetted vendors, negotiated with the police union, worked with the selected vendor to tailor the system for the department’s needs, and developed formal policies for camera use and data storage.
In an interview, Deputy Chief Chris Hodges said he too is excited about the addition of the cameras. He said most officers were in favor of the change and enjoy the added sense of security that everything they are doing is recorded.
The technology has been tested ahead of Acton’s adoption of it. “In Massachusetts and the East Coast, technology is a little slower to develop than in the rest of the country. With police technology, a lot starts out west or in the south.” Since the launch last week, feedback from the staff has been positive.
Officers are now required by department policy to wear a body camera at all times during their shift. Policy dictates that they activate the camera during all interactions with the public that are a result of a call for service, or any investigative or enforcement activity. Officers will take privacy concerns into consideration when activating the body-worn camera in certain areas, such as private residences or medical facilities.
Wearing body cameras demonstrates a departments’ commitment to transparency and accountability and helps improve policing practices so that officers may better serve their communities.
Research done by the Bureau of Justice Assistance suggests that implementing a body-worn camera program has led to reductions in crime, police-generated incidents, assaults against police officers, and complaints against police officers in certain communities.
