Carrboro police don’t want to warn people they are being filmed

Carrboro Officer David Deshaies holds out one of the first body cameras he tested. Deshaies said the police department has tried out a series of models over the last year and a half, looking for one that can withstand the ruggedness of modern police work.

From The Carrboro Commons

The Carrboro Police Department is putting the finishing touches on a policy to govern body-worn cameras, wrapping up more than a year’s worth of work.

Police Capt. Chris Atack said he recently made another round of edits to the draft of the policy unveiled last month to address concerns raised by the Board of Aldermenand residents during a March 24 public hearing. While most of the edits were minor changes, Atack said he was also responding to a more controversial recommendation from the American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina, backed by some aldermen, to require police to tell people when they are being recorded.

“That’s one of the issues that needs to be discussed further,” Atack said.

Atack said he worries the disclosure requirement would jeopardize officer safety. Some people become more agitated and violent when they know a camera is rolling, he said.

“I think there’s a difference of opinion there for a lot of reasons,” Atack said.

Carrboro Aldermen Examine Guidelines for Police Body Cameras

From Chapelboro

Carrboro police officers may soon be required to wear cameras on their bodies.

Last year’s incidents in Ferguson and New York invigorated conversations across the nation about police misconduct and racial discrimination. Earlier this month the United States Department of Justice issued a damning report on Ferguson police, finding explicit racial bias among officers against African Americans (including racist emails sent by officers).

At Tuesday’s Carrboro Board of Aldermen meeting, Member Michelle Johnson said body cameras will not end police racial profiling. But some think body cameras could reduce police misconduct by recording interactions between officers and the public.

Carrboro officials have been discussing police body cameras for the last half year. Carrboro’s draft policy sets guidelines for use of cameras and management of the video taken.