A significant change could be on the way for the Newton Police Department as a group of officers will soon begin a pilot program for body-worn cameras, according to Chief John Carmichael.
“I recognize that there are pros and cons to it,” said Carmichael during a recent phone interview. “I have mixed feelings.”
Fourteen department members total, including those in the superior officers union, Capt. George McMains and the chief, will start wearing cameras made by Axon sometime in the late fall or winter, Carmichael said.
“I’m happy that they’re stepping up,” he said of the department leaders.
The union agreed to a yearlong pilot program, which may involve trying out products from several companies that manufacture body cameras.
Axon offers a 30-day pilot program with cameras, docking stations, and cloud-based storage. If Axon does not extend the pilot program, Carmichael said the department would try other vendors for the rest of the year.
The company said in an email that it could not provide specific details on a potential contract, but added, “we don’t want cost to be a barrier for public safety and we do provide different pricing models to meet agency needs.”
Carmichael said the department would seek grants for the cameras, docking stations, storage, etc., if the city decides to purchase them.
According to Axon, the latest body-camera model being used by many law enforcement agencies is the Axon Body 3. The company would not comment on which camera the Newton Police would be trying out.
Working out the details
In its final recommendations released in 2021, Newton’s Police Reform Task Force said acquiring body cameras should be a future goal and advised officials to conduct a feasibility study.
As the department moves forward with the initiative, Carmichael said it is vital for residents and officials to weigh in.
“I’m really interested to see what the response of the community is,” he said.
“Having a camera and recording everything that we do, there’s some benefits to that …. but it kind of changes the interaction,” said Carmichael. “To me, I miss the old-school, face-to-face contact with the community without something like that.”
The department also will be considering how and when the devices would be used.
For example, during the pilot program Carmichael said school resource officers would not be using the cameras, but if the department decides to purchase them, the devices could be used in that capacity.
Carmichael said other police departments started using cameras for better evidence quality, reducing liability, and increasing transparency and safety, among other reasons.
However, he said there are shortfalls.
For example, recordings will show “what’s transpiring through the lens of the body camera,” not necessarily what the officer him or herself is viewing or perceiving in a given situation, said Carmichael.
The issue of police body cameras came into focus after an incident on May 20, 2020. Boston Police asked Newton Police to conduct surveillance on Eddy Street where the girlfriend of a wanted murder suspect lived. Boston Police said the suspect, a 38-year-old Black man, had killed a Dorchester man on May 18.
On May 20, Newton Police stopped residents Tim Duncan, a 50-year-old Black man, and his wife, when looking for the suspect.
“Mr. Duncan was stopped, one of the [Newton] officers removed his handgun from his holster and his report states he did not point the gun at Mr. Duncan contrary to some reports. When the officer realized that Mr. Duncan looked compliant and shocked by what was happening, the officer holstered his weapon,” according to a statement made by then-Interim Chief Howard Mintz during a July 2020, City Council meeting.
Since Newton Police did not use body cameras at the time, there is no video of the interaction. During the meeting, a councilor asked Mintz if he thought it would be appropriate for Newton officers to have body cameras in the future.
He replied that although he “was originally not a fan … it is inevitable and essential that body cameras will be here.”
