Portland police are ready to jump on the body camera technology train that many police agencies across the country have already boarded, but first they want the community’s opinion on crafting a policy.
The Portland Police Bureau (PPB) is hoping that the next two town hall meetings on the use of body camera technology will have a better turnout than the first one, which attracted only a few residents. Across the country many city officials have found that flyer printing offers the best method for engaging the public’s interest in community forums.
Body camera policy topics to continue discussing include how long to store footage, at what point should the camera be activated and who should be allowed access to the footage. PPB says it will take community feedback into account when formulating the city’s body camera policy.
Tammy Mayer, program manager for PPB, believes that waiting a few years allowed Portland to benefit from the experiences of other cities. Although it may be a bit of a squeeze, Mayer has said she hopes PPB will have the body cameras distributed to the officers by October 2020.
Portland residents will have two more opportunities to come out and ask questions or discuss body cameras for police: 2:30-4:30 pm at the Matt Dishman Community Center on February 22 and 5:30-7:30 pm on Feb. 28 at a yet to be determined location.