New Haven Police Union President Louis Cavaliere Jr. Wednesday “challenged” the police chief to move more quickly on negotiations over outfitting city cops with body cameras.
Chief Dean Esserman and Cavaliere have been discussing the concept of bringing the cameras to the city, as a way of documenting interactions between officers and citizens that otherwise become he-said-she-said disputes. Their discussions on the subject began before President Obama proposed pumping $263 million into state and local law enforcement agencies to purchase the cameras in the wake of controversy in Ferguson, Missouri over a police officer shooting and killing an unarmed teenager.
Cavaliere issued a release to the press Wednesday afternoon calling for overcoming a “delay” in those negotiations and listing six key questions that need to be answered. (He also discussed his concerns in this previous story.) The text of his letter follows:
The men and women of the New Haven Police Union understand that the citizens of New Haven have legitimate questions and concerns about police procedure, in particular police use of force.
Chief Esserman has proposed the implementation of Body Cameras as a way to make day to interactions between the public and the police more transparent.
The Police Union has requested the opportunity to meet and discuss the implementation of such technology with Chief Esserman and his staff, but to date very little constructive dialog has taken place.
The Police Union does not know why this delay has occurred, but we stand ready, willing and able to take a leadership role on this issue.
The Police Union leadership has attended seminars on implementing Body Camera programs, has consulted with legal experts in the field and has reviewed reports compiled by the U.S. Department of Justice and the Police Executive Research Forum.
The Police Union is demanding to begin meaningful discussions with Chief Esserman on the implementation of Body Cameras. We challenge Chief Esserman to be prepared to address the following matters …
1) What is the true cost of Body Cameras?
2) Is this the right technology for New Haven?
3) What will a Body Camera policy look like?
4) Should a pilot program be implemented to test the “system” to work out any “bugs“so as to ensure public confidence in the finished product?
5) Is more training on de-escalation techniques, diversity, community policing and use force an alternative to Body Cameras?
6) Will the implementation of Body Cameras detract from already tight training budgets?
All of these issues are important to the City, its citizens and the police officers who serve them. We anxiously await a response from Chief Esserman.
New Haven Police Union Elm City Local
Click here for a story on how Branford has fared using the body cams for the past three years. And click on the video to watch an interaction, captured by body cam, between a Branford cop and an irate driver stopped for an alleged cell-phone offense.