The Anchorage Police Department will move ahead with the long-awaited implementation of body-worn cameras without first resolving policy disputes that officials have blamed for delaying the technology’s rollout for more than a year.
The police department had initially planned to launch the body camera technology by the end of 2021, after voters approved ato fund the addition of body cameras and a critical overhaul of the department’s computer-aided dispatch and records management system.
While the timeline for the roll out remains unclear, the department has recommended a vendor for the equipment, and will now move through the city’s purchasing process, Kerle said. “Once the body worn cameras are purchased, we train our officers on them, we’ll implement them, and if the policy changes from our current policy, we’ll update the policy,” he said.
Kerle said the goal is to initially begin with 30 cameras, and to rapidly add more after the department ensures its digital evidence management system is ready.Officials announced last fall that the department and the union representing police officers would enter arbitration to resolve policy disagreements. A key point of contention has been whether officers should be able to review footage of situations when force is used before providing statements.
Kerle said the department then consulted with city attorneys and received the changed legal opinion that’s driving the new camera roll out process.
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