Police now wear body cameras in downtown Portland

(JULY 5, 2024) Last month, police officers in the downtown area of Portland started to wear body cameras. This area covers over 41 square miles, including the west side of the river and the Central Eastside. Now, 110 officers, which is about one-third of all patrol officers, are using these cameras. The police department plans to give cameras to officers in the north part of the city in mid-July. Officers in the eastern part of the city and other areas will start using the cameras in late August.

Getting these cameras took many years. Other cities already used body cameras to make police responsible for their actions. The cameras make important records of actions like shootings or the use of physical force. In Portland, however, some people worried that police would watch the videos first and then change their reports.

 By 2021, Portland was the only big city without body cameras. The U.S. Department of Justice told Portland that body cameras would help them follow rules about using force on people with mental illness. At that time, 96% of voters wanted body cameras, but there were problems with money and agreements. Last year, the city and the police union agreed on a plan: if someone is hurt or dies, the officer must say what happened before watching the video. Since April 26, 2023, the police have been testing the cameras and learning from other cities in other states, like Baltimore, Albuquerque, and Oakland.

The cameras are made by Axon. They turn on automatically when an officer turns on emergency vehicle lights or takes out their gun. When the cameras start recording, the officer will say that they are recording. For the first 60 days, officers will not get in trouble for mistakes with the cameras if they are not done on purpose. Oregon law says the police must keep the videos for at least 180 days.