The Boston Police Department has been considering the use of body cameras. Police Commissioner William Evans and the Boston Police Patrolmen’s Association, the department’s largest union, had proposed that a voluntary pilot program begin September 2. That pilot program was to include 100 volunteers to wear the cameras for six months to determine the effectiveness of the cameras and the impact on privacy concerns for both officers and civilians.
That pilot program, however, immediately faced a troubled start as not even one officer stepped forward to participate. Commissioner Evens therefor determined it would be necessary to assign officers to the pilot program.
The union objects to the mandatory assignment of officers to the program without renegotiating the agreement or proceeding through arbitration. The union filed an injunction in Suffolk Superior Court today to halt program the day before it was to begin, frustrating advocates who feel the department is too slow to implement the use of body cameras.
The department and the union have now agreed to a tentative start date of September 12. This new start date, they claim, will give the court enough time to properly consider the issues and make an informed decision before the program is set to begin.
