DELMAR – If you interact with a Bethlehem police officer, you will now be on camera.
Monday, June 19, will be the first day that field personnel will don new body cameras and store footage of police activity. This has been years in the making, according to town officials.
“We are ready to go Monday,” Bethlehem Police Chief Gina Cocchiara said. “It will build community trust, improve transparency, and it strengthens the relationship between the police and public.“
The camera discussion escalated during the unrest following the George Floyd murder in 2020 and was a recommendation of the Police Reform and Reinvention Collaborative, a group of stakeholders in the town tasked with exploring relationships between the police and community.
“[The cameras] support our goal of transparency and accountability of our officers and the public,” Town Supervisor David Vanluven said. “It will also give us the opportunity to see some of the challenges officers face. We have officers that act professionally, and it is important for our residents to see that.”
Many larger police departments in the area have used body cameras for many years, but it is just now being rolled out at smaller departments. Bethlehem and Colonie are two agencies that are implementing them this year.
“Two years ago, Bethlehem’s Police Reform and Reinvention Collaborative recommended that the town purchase and implement body cams for our police officers. Today, we can cross that recommendation off the list,” Maureen Cunningham, Bethlehem Town Board Member and Police-Community Town Board Liaison said. “More importantly, the roll-out of the body cams program was done in a spirit of great transparency, collaboration, and community partnership. And for this, I am proud – not only of the town and all the community members who raised their voices, but also of the forward-thinking leadership of the Bethlehem Police Department who are clearly listening.”
The Bethlehem Town Board included the funds for body-worn cameras in the 2023 budget, after years of discussion and negotiations.
According to Cocciara, the department entered into a four-year agreement with Axon that will cost $51,580.10 per year for body-worn cameras and $34,943.98 for in-car cameras.
To offset the first year’s cost, Bethlehem received an $88,000 grant from the Department of Criminal Justice Services, but that is a one-time grant.
“This technology really brings the department into the 21st century,” Bethlehem Sgt. Michael Whiteley said.
Whiteley is one of the 39 sworn officers that will wear the cameras. The department will have five spare cameras as a backup. The contract with Axon includes the replacement of all the cameras after two years to keep up with changing technology.
The 14 in-car cameras for marked police cars have been delayed due to supply-chain issues and will be installed in a few months.
In addition to the funding, the town needed to update other documents and agreements to pave the way for the roll out.
The police unions contracts include provisions that allow for the body cameras, and they are supportive of the addition, but Cocchiara said the department did have to revise the general orders for the agency. The command staff routinely meets to update the orders to keep them in compliance with accreditation agencies.
“We have to keep up with the times,” Cocchiara said. “Whenever there is a change, especially one like this, we have to update orders.”
“[Police command staff] has put a ton of work into the general orders for this equipment and have been talking to community members as well,” Vanluven said.
Cocchiara said that the body cameras have some significant advantages, such as improved police accountability and lower reports of misconduct and community complaints. They protect both the police and citizens against false accusations, lead to better training and can create useful evidence for court cases.
There are some drawbacks, however, she said.
“The cameras don’t alway pick up everything an officer sees,” she said. “And it also picks up things they don’t see. It is not perfect, but it is much better to have it recorded.”
This story was updated to correct the number of sworn officers to 39.