By Adam Swift
The Revere Police Department is looking for the approval of a five-year contract with Axon Enterprises to procure body-worn cameras for its officers.
The five year contract with Axon Enterprises totals just over $1.1 million.
Last November, Police Chief Maria LaVita appeared before the city council and said the plan is to have the full implementation of the body-worn camera program in place by March, with one camera for each of the department’s 113 officers.
“Body-Worn Cameras are a necessary component for modern law enforcement agencies as this technology increases public trust and transparency, elevates officer safety and offers the ability to provide an objective record of police and community interactions,” LaVita stated in a letter to the city council this week. “Body-Worn Cameras will not only protect the integrity of officers’ actions from false claims, it will hold officers accountable for misconduct. Furthermore, it will also protect the City from frivolous civil litigation.”
The city council was scheduled to hold a regular meeting on Monday, but the meeting was rescheduled to Thursday, Jan. 29 due to the winter storm that hit the region.
The police chief said body-worn cameras will provide reliable, unedited documentation to ensure citizen complaints are investigated in a timely manner.
“This technology is unmatched when investigating these matters and is far superior to relying on third-party narratives and officer’s recollections,” LaVita said. “This is also true for reviewing use of force encounters which is sometimes necessary to ensure officers acted within state and federal law and in accordance with their training. Body-Worn Camera footage also serves as a powerful training tool as the department will have the ability to review real incidents to improve tactics, communication and decision making.”
In addition, the chief said capturing video when responding to scenes will provide evidence that will document both crime scenes and victim’s injuries as well as record utterances made by suspects. That evidence will be able to assist in the prosecution of defendants and hold those accountable that commit crimes.
“Considering the ease in which videos can be manipulated using artificial intelligence, it is now more important than ever before that the Revere Police Department acquire technology which can be verified and relied upon,” LaVita stated. “Video evidence will be properly captured and preserved to ensure the unmanipulated documentation of all incidents. This far outweighs relying solely on video captured by bystanders and other sources.
“Communities like Revere expect and deserve transparency, especially when it comes to public safety.”
Procuring body-worn cameras will allow the department to share accurate information with the public when appropriate and respond to misinformation in a timely fashion, LaVita stated.
“Lastly, Axon’s technology provides real time linguistic translation for over fifty languages,” LaVita stated. “This feature will allow each officer to speak to people in need immediately, without requesting and waiting for a translator. The technology will enhance officer safety as well as the safety of the general public.”
LaVita said the cameras will help ensure the department provides the most effective and ethical law enforcement services to the City of Revere.
