ABOVE: Officer Eric Aronowitz models a body camera. BELOW: Cameras in chargers.
Photos by Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star
By Rich Pollack
While law enforcement agencies throughout Palm Beach County — and the country — are exploring the feasibility of equipping officers with body-worn video cameras, the small oceanfront town of Highland Beach is jumping ahead of the curve.
Beginning this month, Highland Beach police officers will be wearing body cameras that can be turned on during routine traffic stops and other encounters with the potential of confrontations or arrests.
“We’re fortunate in Highland Beach to be able to work in an environment where we don’t have dangerous situations routinely, but they do happen,” said Chief Craig Hartmann said. “Having body-worn cameras will add another level of transparency and accountability.”
Although the number of reported crimes in Highland Beach is minimal, Hartmann points out that its not unusual for officers to come across volatile situations when responding to a variety of calls. Those calls include domestic complaints, attempted suicides or cases where a resident or visitor dealing with mental illness fails to take his or her medication.
The body cameras being used are small pager-like devices capable of shooting both video (including audio) and still shots. Officers turn them on when they encounter a situation with the potential for confrontation or when recording evidence. When they return to the station, they place the camera in a docking station, which downloads the information that is saved for 90 days or longer if needed.
The cameras will be used to document accident or crime scenes and can present an accurate account of officers’ actions should they be called into question.
“Cameras can reduce use of force and citizen complaints because officers and residents know they’re being videoed,” Hartmann said. “We expect that our officers are acting appropriately and that the cameras will confirm that when there are encounters.”
The six cameras and the necessary software and equipment needed to operate them had a price tag of about $5,000. The money come from the Highland Beach Police Foundation, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that collects donations from the community to cover the cost of improvements and enhancements to the Police Department not requested during the town’s budgeting process.
Although officers will begin using the cameras this month, the implementation is the result of several months of research used to develop a protocol that takes individuals’ right to privacy into account.
Highland Beach’s accreditation and training manager, Eric Aronowitz, who has been leading the project, said the department has developed a detailed policy using ones created by other departments and the International Association of Police Chiefs as a guide.
“There are certain situations where the cameras cannot be used,” Aronowitz said. “Our policy is very specific.”
Highland Beach police officers will not turn the cameras on during casual contact with residents or during routine calls where there is no perceived potential for confrontation, he said.
Officers are not required to announce when the cameras are being used, but Aronowitz said the department is recommending to all of its 15 full-time officers and three reserves that they let it be known when they turn the cameras on.
Privacy issues are one reason other departments in the area are proceeding with caution before moving forward.
In Ocean Ridge, Police Chief Hal Hutchins says his department is taking a wait-and-see approach, hoping to learn from the experiences of other departments.
“This is fairly new,” he said. “We’re watching and considering all aspects of these programs to try and determine if this is something that would be beneficial to residents of Ocean Ridge.”
Larger agencies in the area are taking a more aggressive approach, with departments in Boca Raton, Delray Beach and Boynton Beach all currently researching the feasibility of implementing body-camera programs.
In Delray Beach, Chief Jeff Goldman plans to equip 20 officers with cameras in a pilot program after the department completes a policy development phase — currently underway — and a purchasing study.
Boca Raton police spokeswoman Officer Sandra Boonenberg says her department plans to begin a pilot program during the first quarter of the year, while Boynton Beach police have a committee studying the issue with the goal of developing an efficient and effective program. West Palm Beach police do use body cameras for certain incidents.
In Highland Beach, Hartmann says his department — thanks in large part to the support of the nonprofit foundation — is able to take a proactive approach when it comes to body-worn video cameras.
“We want to have this in place to get ahead of the curve before something bad happens and people wonder why we didn’t have them,” he said. “You need these cameras when something does go wrong. You just hope it doesn’t happen.”
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