Jeannette looks to lease dash and body cameras for police department

Jeannette police could be getting another measure of protection — dash and body cameras.

Police Chief Donald Johnston Jr. said having video evidence of arrests or incidents could help bolster criminal cases as well as deter potentially violent encounters with the public.

“When you’re not able to provide that footage, (defense attorneys) try to use it to discredit the police department,” he said.

City council is expected to take up the measure at its voting meeting Thursday.

Johnston recommended the approval of a five-year lease of six dash cams for patrol units and six body cameras for officers. That will cost $15,700 annually and include data storage. After the five years is up, the city will own them and can pay a reduced rate for data storage, he said.

The department could purchase the devices outright for $78,000 but that would require the city to find a way to store the data, Johnston said. Chief fiscal officer Ethan Keedy said he has freed up about $9,000 in the department’s 2022 budget and needs to look for $6,000 more to fund the first year of the lease, if council approves it.

The cameras will be synced with lights on the police car and the body units will turn on automatically, Johnston said.

“It reduces the complaints that are brought against the police,” he said. “It actually protects the officer as much as it protects the citizen.”

Plus, it shows the community that the department is taking proactive steps to improve safety and officer accountability, Johnston said, adding it’s a measure that could eventually become mandatory.

There are seven states, including New Jersey and Maryland, that mandate the use of body-worn cameras by law enforcement officers, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. The federal Department of Justice announced in September that it is requiring federal agents to use body cameras during pre-planned operations.

Eric Slavin, the city’s insurance agent, said the cameras can help reduce potential lawsuits.

“Anything you can do to mitigate the risk is a good idea,” he said.