Chief Joe Edwards

While Gov. Bruce Rauner considers whether to sign a measure that would set standards for how body cameras can be used by police officers in Illinois, local law enforcement leaders discussed the pros and cons of the proposed legislation.

The bill on the governor’s desk would not require police departments to use body cameras, but it would set guidelines for those that choose to do so. Recordings wouldn’t be considered public record unless they contained potential evidence in a use-of-force incident, discharge of a weapon or a death.

Under the bill, the state would add $5 onto traffic tickets to pay for the equipment, expand police training on use of force, ban chokeholds and create a database to track officers who commit misconduct.

The measure would also require an independent investigation of all officer-involved deaths and would make investigation reports part of the public record if an officer involved in a death is not charged with a crime.

This legislation comes after a series of officer-involved deaths across the country generated momentum around efforts to change the way police interact with the communities they serve.

“It’s basically a knee-jerk reaction by the state to some of the problems we’ve seen in cities across the country,” Monroe County Sheriff Neal Rohlfing said.

Rohlfing cited privacy and cost as concerns when dealing with police body cams. All Monroe County Sheriff’s Department patrol vehicles are already equipped with dashboard cameras, which Rohlfing said is working well.

The sheriff also said the trust factor between police and the community is strong here in Monroe County as opposed to other areas of the country.

“It’s a shame that elsewhere in the United States, the faith in police has eroded away,” he said. “I just don’t see that here… 99.5 percent of people in Monroe County trust the police. I truly feel that way.”

Taking all of these matters into consideration, Rohlfing said officer body cams are not a top priority for his department at this time.

“I’m not sure it’s something we really need in the rural area, but things could change,” he said.

Columbia Police Chief Joe Edwards said he has been following the legislation very closely. Like the MCSD, all marked Columbia patrol cars are equipped with dash cams.

“My greatest concern is weighing the benefit of body-worn camera versus infringing on the Fourth Amendment right of our citizens (officers entering private homes or areas recording),” Edwards said.

Edwards said it took him eight years to obtain funding for dash cams in CPD patrol cars.

“We use the in-car camera footage all the time, reviewing police pursuits, documenting traffic offenses, video at crash scenes, reviewing police tactics, and monitoring contact between officers and violators,” he explained.

But placing body cameras on officers that record while entering private residences is a much more intrusive standard, Edwards offered.

“Will the public be reluctant to interact with our officer because of these recording devices?” Edwards asked. “The case law on the use of body cameras is so new, hardly any guidance exists from the courts.”

Edwards also questions how long it would take the proposed $5 fee on traffic tickets to cover the costs of body cams.

“Will it be enough to maintain the data on servers and also cover the extra time staff will be required to review and provide when requested?” Edwards asked. “This would be a very large amount of data to be collected, stored and reviewed on an ongoing basis if body cameras are used.”

Waterloo Police Chief Jim Trantham said his department is also researching the issue of body cams. The city has even allotted $10,500 in its current fiscal year budget for body cams, if needed.

Trantham estimated the cost at $300 to $500 per body cam, not including a range of $5 to $50 per month per camera for video storage.

“That could be a problem,” Trantham said of the storage costs.

Waterloo currently has about half of its fleet — seven patrol cars — equipped with dash cams, Trantham said. The recent purchase of two new 2013 Chevrolet Impalas for the department at a cost of $36,458, which will replace two 2006 cars, resulted in about $9,600 in savings for the WPD that will go toward more dash cams.

As for body cams, Trantham said he is taking a wait-and-see approach.

“We’re still looking into it,” he said. “There’s an interest in getting them, but we have to find out what the law dictates.”

Chief Edwards said he will continue to monitor the issue as well.

“I currently feel the best position to take is continuing to research this issue as it evolves all over the country, watch for more guidance from the courts, make sure the funding to purchase, operate, store and process the data is actually available locally, and decide after input from all of our community stakeholders,” Edwards said.