Federal government supports the use of body cameras by Portland police

(NOVEMBER 19, 2021) Among the 75 largest city police departments in the country, Portland is the only one that does not use body cameras. The Portland Police Bureau says there are many reasons. The main reason, it says, is cost -- as much as $2.9 million to start, plus $1.8 million per year to keep it going.

Many people think it is worth the cost. They believe body cameras can improve police behavior -- or at least hold them more accountable in questionable situations. “Body cameras are an opportunity to have a level playing field where every single stop, every single police interaction is documented,” explained Cameron Whitten, co-founder of Black Millennial Movement, in a KGW TV news story.

Now, according to the Associated Press, the U.S. Department of Justice also supports the action. The DOJ recommends that "all uniformed officers in Portland, Oregon, wear body cameras if they are on tactical, traffic or crowd control operations." The Justice Department says the cameras should turn on automatically when an officer draws a gun, fires a Taser, or initiates a car chase.

However, there are many details to work out beyond the cost. For example, the city is negotiating with the police union about when the cameras would be used. They are also discussing how the recordings are used after an incident. For example, can a police officer preview the recording before talking to an investigator? The DOJ recommends that the officers do not review the recording until after filing their reports.

According to Oregon Public Broadcasting, the police union disagrees with the DOJ's recommendation. Portland Police Association president Sgt. Aaron Schmautz said, “We’re just looking to get to what we believe is best practice based on all the myriad studies that have been done ... and consistent with all these other large agencies around the country. We view video as a tool to make sure that our officers have all the equipment and information available to them to fully and comprehensively cover what happens in an event. Video is one of those tools.”

The Portland City Council will vote soon on program funding and how it will work.