As an inner loop Houston Realtor I have an obligation to be informed about current events in Houston. I recently attended a Houston City Council Meeting on December 17th which discussed body cameras for police.
Houston Police Chief Charles McClelland was the primary speaker for the first hour and half of the council meeting as he outlined his program and answered questions. Chief McClelland reported the results of his test program involving 100 officers with body cameras.
He found that:
• It takes a police officer 30 minutes to download and categorize the video.
• The camera location varies as to the height of the police officer.
• The camera needs a turn off switch to allow for bathroom breaks and casual conversation between officers.
• The storage of the taped data will require a large financial investment for Houston.
• There are roughly 5,500 police officers. It is recommended that cameras be used for the 3,500 active patrol officers.
• Detectives would not use body cameras as they could endanger confidential informants and on-going investigations.
• The public could misuse the data by checking on spouses and neighbors.
• Body cameras should be turned off when dealing with sexual cases and minors.
• HPD will need a special team of officers to review the tapes and handle storage.
• Police officers work 8 hour shifts, 6% of their time will be spend working with the video and not patrolling the streets and neighborhoods of Houston.
According to Chief McClelland cameras are not the solution to issues involving the police and citizens. The camera tape will be disputed by interested parties much like the NFL video replay is today. Each side will see what they want to see when reviewing video evidence. Prejudice and racial profile training should be increased to avoid discrimination. In conclusion, a better trained police force is Houston’s best solution to avoid the killing of innocent young men.
Mayor Parker commended the Chief for his extensive test program. The Mayor told the Chief that Houston is committed to having body cameras used by police as fast as possible. City Council Members voiced their support for the Mayor and the purchase of body cameras.