Boston Patrol Officers to Wear Body Cameras

A six-month agreement between the City of Boston and the Boston Police Patrolmen’s Association (BPPA) has been signed for police to wear body cameras while on duty to document their activities.

Up to a hundred volunteer police patrol officers will participate in the pilot program.

Mayor Martin J Walsh’s Fiscal Year 2017 budget provided $500,000 to support this pilot program that includes project management service, evacuation and potentially personal costs.

Once the pilot concludes, an evaluation will be completed on the program’s effectiveness to determine the next steps for a possible permanent program in the city.

“The project will serve as another tool for the Boston Police Department to continue the work in the community,” the Mayor said in a press release.

Reportedly, the agreement was created by viewing the best practices of other municipalities across the country and input from police departments and officers, the BPD Social Justice Task Force, the Harvard Law Criminal Justice Program and through community feedback.

“This is a positive development that brings the Boston Police Department even closer to implementing this important pilot program in the city,” Police Commissioner Paul Evans said in a press release.

            “The Boston Police Patrolmen’s Association (BPPA) is pleased to have reached an agreement with the City of Boston to implement a pilot program for Boston Patrol Offices to wear and use body cameras,” BPPA President Patrick M. Rose said in a press release.