Former Aberdeen Mayor Levsen said police cameras translate into better officers and reduced complaints
When national news reports a tragic outcome related to law enforcement activity, It's hard to watch no matter where the fault lies. It does lead me to reflective admiration for the time, as mayor, I was able to observe the Aberdeen Police Department (as seen above from the department’s Facebook page).
It's more than a dozen years since Aberdeen joined the earliest cities choosing to equip their police with body cameras . The effect has been overwhelmingly positive.
In 2009, then-Police Chief Don Lanpher came to our City Commission asking us to fund putting cameras on all of his officers. The chief had been talking with the manufacturer and secured a discount price. The company wanted some city to use their cameras and be an example for other buyers. The chief’s arguments and the discounted price made the decision easy.
Aberdeen took its place among those innovative city police departments who ventured into what was new territory for public safety policy and procedure. Chief Lanpher and his officers were well-prepared and the introduction went so smoothly the council never looked back.
Cameras must be on during any officer involved interaction with the public. Training was necessary but not really too complicated. Just remember to have the camera rolling, and be aware of the seriousness of the violation if it is not. Aberdeen’s choice was for visor cameras — not the more common chest type. The visor view is always seeing what the officer is looking at, and is superior in some ways.
When this started, a common reaction was for people to think about using cameras to help resolve disputes following officer/citizen events that led to complaints. That is an obvious plus, but an even greater benefit is using the camera as a training tool. For new recruits and for ongoing officer improvement, having the supervisory ability to review any or all interactions and correct mistakes significantly advances the effectiveness of training. It helps with promotion evaluations and is a primary tool to identify officers or trainees who simply are not police material and need to find other work.
When we see events nationally, there often seems to be contributing mistakes on both sides. In some cases, officers unable to diffuse a situation instead made it worse. Good officers would have done better with camera-based training, and problem officers would have been washed out along the way.
When citizens in Aberdeen do have complaints, a simple reaction of “Let’s look at the video” usually resolves things quickly. Most often the offended party recalls the event differently than what they see for themselves on the video.
That’s particularly true of folks who had too much to drink, which can cause some major embarrassments. Yes, officer mistakes are made, and if the citizen’s concern shows as legitimate, that leads to appropriate remedial action, starting with an apology.
Over time, it is self-evident this camera policy has made it possible to put better officers on duty. The training effect and the self-discipline of having all one’s work subject to review work together with effective and consistent leadership. The result is, we maintain, a city police department second to none in training and in service to the public.
In my first few years in office, I often fielded calls from angry citizens following their contact with our police. As time passed and the quality of performance rose, I had entire years without even a single incident reaching my office. The cameras were a major part of that change.
Many other public safety agencies have now chosen to do this. Those who have not owe it to the people they are protecting to start doing so.
Mike Levsen is a former mayor of Aberdeen
