INDIANAPOLIS — The School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis announced a community survey on Tuesday pertaining to Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department's body-worn camera pilot program.
Mayor Joe Hogsett and IMPD Chief Bryan Roach announced earlier this month the start of a study involving the possibility of bringing body-worn cameras to Indianapolis. According to the IMPD, this process seeks the feedback from both the community and officers.
READ |IMPD Chief: Body camera are 'a goal of mine' |
“The most important difference with this body camera pilot is that, for the first time, the community will take part in the assessment,” Mayor Hogsett said. “In this way, we can build the trust, the transparency, and the tools to implement a quality body camera program.”
IUPUI will administer the private web-based survey to observe the community's attitudes, expectations and concerns regarding IMPD officers wearing body cameras.
The pilot of body-worn cameras will be tested by officers who serve in the busiest shift on the largest districts. This includes all beat officers, supervisors on north, east and southeast district during middle shifts, who will use the equipment to record video and audio of resident interactions that occur over the trial period.
“The question is not whether body cameras for police are a good tool, but rather how can this technology be implemented in a manner that meets both community and IMPD expectations while balancing effective policy, personal privacy concerns and budget constraints,” Dr. Jeremy Carter, Director of Criminal Justice and Public Safety and Associate Professor in the School of Public and Environmental Affairs at IUPUI, said.
The technology will be piloted with no cost to the City of Indianapolis. Although, if the city does implement full deployment of a body-worn camera program this may cost between $2 - $3 million per year, according to the IMPD.
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During the trial period IMPD will turn to other cities for research and analysis, policies, procedures and roll-outs of successful body camera programs across the country.
Interested in participating in the survey?
Click this link.
