Questions surround proposed funding for IMPD body cameras

Public safety officials made their pitch for body-worn cameras Wednesday night during a formal unveiling of their proposed $257.6 million budget for the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department in 2016.

The presentation gave the City-County Council’s Public Safety and Criminal Justice Committee a detailed look at what officials consider the department’s most pressing needs ahead of a full council vote, which is expected in the coming weeks.

Much of the conversation at the meeting swirled around concerns over the department’s proposal for body-worn cameras — something critics say is currently rife with unknowns.

The potential addition of body-worn cameras for IMPD’s 900 patrol officers has drawn intense interest over the past several weeks. In August, black leaders urged city officials to include money for body cameras after the police shooting of a 15-year-old boy. No video footage of that encounter has emerged.

Wednesday’s budget presentation didn’t stray far from the proposal originally announced by Mayor Greg Ballard’s office last month: an allocation of $250,000 for cameras, with the rest of the funds likely depending heavily on federal grants.

Body cameras are valued at $800 to $1,200 per unit. Officials estimate it would cost at least $2 million to equip city police with body cameras over the next three to five years.

The federal money, however, isn’t a done deal. Officials are pursuing two “very competitive” grants, according to the Department of Public Safety. Officials added that they have an aggressive bid and procurement strategy to wrap things up by the end of the year.

And Ballard spokeswoman Jen Pittman said last month that the mayor’s office would work with the council to identify other funding sources if the city is unable to secure federal grant funding.

Public Safety Director David Wantz called the competition for the grants “stiff” but added, “we put together the very best application we could and made our case.” He said officials expect to hear more about that potential funding by the end of this month.

But some say they are dissatisfied with the city’s strategy. Hours before the budget meeting, FOP President Rick Snyder called on officials to more openly discuss and acknowledge the cost of buying and maintaining body cameras as he pitched the union’s priorities for next year’s policing budget.

“There has not been a cohesive discussion and disclosure of the potential costs associated, not only with the purchase of the cameras, but more importantly, related to the ongoing, recurring annual costs of the data storage required of such a program,” Snyder told reporters gathered at the FOP Lodge. “We have serious concerns related to the minimal investment of $200,000 within the mayor’s proposal and what appears to be an over-reliance on federal grants.”

The city has already experimented with camera options. In July, officials concluded a monthslong pilot program during which a group of officers tested cameras from three vendors.

Snyder praised the cameras Wednesday, saying officers who participated in the program “reported positive experiences with the equipment.”

That program gained attention in April after one of the participating officers was involved in the fatal shooting of a man. Video taken from that shooting was later shown at a news conference after a grand jury cleared him and another officer who was involved of criminal wrongdoing.

But the cost concerns aren’t the only ones facing police departments. City officials and state lawmakers also have debated what happens to video once it’s recorded, such as when such video should become public or whether privacy concerns outweigh calls for transparency. That conversation is expected to continue at the Statehouse on Sept. 29.

Council member Stephen Clay, a Democrat, stressed caution in deciding how to proceed with body camera funding.

“There are so many aspects of concerns that have yet to be clarified” by lawmakers or police department policy, Clay said. “I think we would be precipitous to purchase the cameras without having the policies in place.”

IMPD Chief Rick Hite said legislative talks could help clarify many of the concerns about body cameras.

“We’ll know more about the expectations and the cost factor based on the legislative decisions,” he said.

Staffing also was listed as a priority for IMPD during the meeting Wednesday. The proposal included funding for 70 new officers next year. Hite said he also wants to hire 85 recruits in November, bringing the number of recruits this year to 155. Such additions would raise the total number of officers to more than 1,650 by the end of 2016.

More discussion about body cameras, officers and other issues is expected over the next few weeks before the full council votes.

Call Star reporter Jill Disis at (317) 444-6137. Follow her on Twitter: @ jdisis.