Starting Monday, they go live with Rockford's nearly 300-strong police force using the cameras to record traffic stops, arrests and most law enforcement activities.
Here's what changes in Rockford next week:
Body cameras are easy to use and, by policy, must be on while officers are on the job, Assistant Deputy Chief Randy Berke said.
When conducting a traffic stop, making an arrest or enforcing the law, an officer taps an "event button" twice to start recording. It must be pressed and held for 3 seconds to stop recording, making it difficult to turn off inadvertently.
A device in an officer's holster, which must be worn, will automatically begin a recording when his or her sidearm is drawn.
Once Axon dashboard cameras are installed in police squad cars, they will work in unison with the body-worn cameras, automatically turning them on when lights and sirens are activated.
Until then, the officers must turn them on manually as they step out of a squad car.
The cameras are always on so that when a recording is activated, it captures video without audio the minute prior to activation.
Detectives, SWAT team members, narcotics officers and other specialized units also are required to use the cameras, but detectives who are typically dressed in plain clothes will wear them on their belts instead of their chests.
Officers, dispatchers, commanders and others have undergone training on use of the devices and on the policy governing them — most of which is dictated by state law.
The cameras are designed to prevent tampering and recordings must be kept for a minimum of 90 days — even a video that was accidentally recorded.
Recordings can be destroyed after 90 days unless they include a custodial arrest, use of force, there was a death or serious injury or if there was a complaint filed about the officer's conduct, among other reasons. In those cases, the video must be kept a minimum of two years and in some cases longer.
There is no way for officers to delete a recording and all officers are required to download their recordings at the end of a shift at specialized docking stations.
Officials said the cameras are not meant to be an invasion of privacy.
Although they almost always must be on during law enforcement interactions, officers do have some discretion.
They can be turned off in a private residence, hospital, bathroom or locker room, unless officers are responding to a call for service and then they are by policy supposed to announce that they are recording.
When speaking with a crime victim who requests the recording be stopped, an officer can turn off the device at his or her discretion, but must explain why they are deactivating the device on the recording.
If dispatchers cannot get an officer to respond via radio, or if an officer signals he or she needs assistance, the body camera can be used as a GPS device to find the officer, Deputy Chief Kurt Whisenand said.
Supervisors and police dispatchers can also live stream video from the officer's camera in certain emergency situations, he said.
"If that camera is already recording, it allows the dispatcher or supervisor to see what is going on," Whisenand said. "Is that officer in a fight? Has that officer lost a suspect and is just walking through backyards? What is the context of them not answering that radio? A really big step forward for officer safety."
Rockford Police Chief Carla Redd during a public forum at Katie's Cup Tuesday morning said the cameras are meant to boost officer safety, improve accountability and facilitate professionalism.
Although they are now required by state law for most departments, Redd said Rockford started planning for cameras before the law was signed.
"Before legislation came into play, the community asked for it, the city heard, the police department — we have not pushed back at all, and have been willing, moving forward with obtaining the body cams," Redd said.
City Council in May approved a $3.4 million contract with Scottsdale, Arizona-based Axon Enterprise Inc. to purchase 320 body cameras, replace 120 dashboard cameras over time starting in 2022 and install needed equipment and software to extract, store and use all the digital data the cameras produce.
The five-year contract includes the replacement of the body cameras after three years to the latest version of the technology.
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