A MassInc Polling Group report commissioned by the Hyams Foundation and made public this week underscores the need for body-worn cameras to be deployed with all Boston Police officers. The poll of registered voters living in the city showed that a majority who spoke to researchers— 58 percent— think body cameras on police “would be very effective.”
According to the report, 90 percent of black and Latino voters polled felt that body cameras would be either “very effective” or “somewhat effective.” A smaller percentage— but still a majority— of white and Asian Bostonians agreed.
The results support the argument for body-worn cameras that has been advanced by groups like the Boston Police Camera Action Team (BPCAT), the Lawyers Committee for Civil and Economic Rights, and the NAACP Boston chapter. It’s time at long last for Boston to make this our official policy.
Two weeks ago, Mayor Walsh and Commissioner William Evans spoke out publicly in favor of embracing body cameras as a permanent BPD policy, which is encouraging. A pilot program that ended last year was initially very unpopular with rank and file officers— not a single patrolman volunteered to test the cameras and the city’s patrolmen’s union sought to block the pilot in court.
But Evans told a hearing of the city council that the results of the testing were largely positive. Mayor Walsh then added his own support for the idea of expanding the program to more officers, but has not yet said how many, when, or how much it will cost. City Council president Andrea Campbell— who represents parts of Dorchester and Mattapan and has been a proponent of body cameras— has suggested that the BPD phase in full use over the coming years, partly to manage the budget implications of the new equipment and the personnel needed to operate the technology.
This week’s report from the Hyams Foundation is further illustration of why it’s important for the city to follow through as expeditiously as possible.
Bostonians — particularly Bostonians of color— feel that this tool will enhance public safety and improve confidence in police-community relations. We hope that the city budget will make it a priority in our law enforcement strategy moving forward.
– Bill Forry
