Last month, the Marietta Police Department, with the support of the mayor and City Council, finalized its decision to add body-worn cameras to its list of technological tools. Like many agencies using or considering the use of the cameras, the decision was based on multiple factors that include increasing officer safety, evidence collection, agency transparency and community relations.
Prior to this decision, Chief Dan Flynn and other personnel discussed the cameras with officers, prosecutors and members of the community, including pastors that participated in the department’s Pastors Academy. The majority support their use.
The Marietta police strives to be a leader in community-oriented policing as reflected earlier this year. President Barack Obama’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing recognized our agency as one of three outstanding examples of police-community relations.
Th department recognizes a need to not only educate its personnel on body-worn cameras, but also have open conversations with prosecutors and the community as to the realities of the cameras. There is an old saying that “a picture is worth a thousand words.”
Everyone needs to be mindful a complete account of actions cannot be told from a picture or video clip. Anyone who believes cameras will become the “solve all” in police-citizen contacts will never be totally satisfied with their use. It is the responsibility of any investigator — criminal, administrative, civil and news media — to always be fact-finders and never rush to judgment. Video will always be of great assistance to any investigation, but it can never be considered the final determinant of a person’s actions.
This is especially true in high-stress incidences such as when an officer uses force against a person, including officer-involved shootings. Psychological studies have been conducted on how the human brain processes stress and impacts the perception of an event at that moment. In law enforcement, a commonly used term to describe this event is “tunnel vision,” a narrowing of peripheral vision when focusing on a specific object.
Officers commonly rely on all their senses including smell, touch and hearing when deciding to use force. Officers also rely on their education, training and experience. All of these senses and factors will never be portrayed accurately in an image from an electronic device. During these high-stress moments, a camera will depict a wider range of view than the human eye can capture.
In addition, everyone should be mindful of the U.S. Supreme Court decision Graham v. Connor (1989) as it relates to law enforcement’s use of force, also known as the Graham Standard. The court stated “the “reasonableness” of a particular use of force must be judged from the perspective of a reasonable officer on the scene, rather than with the 20/20 vision of hindsight.
The Marietta Police Department is excited about this new technology, as it is proving within the law enforcement profession to be a beneficial tool. We are researching multiple body-worn camera products to ensure the procurement of the best product that will not only meet the needs of our agency, but allow us to be fiscally responsible to Marietta taxpayers.
Our goal is to have body-worn cameras in service by the end of the year. The department remains committed to providing world-class service to the community it serves while doing so in the most effective and efficient manner possible.
Steve Campisi is a lieutenant with the Marietta Police Department.
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