'Strike The Right Balance': ACLU Supports Police Body Cameras

PARKER, Colo. (CBS4)- The nation's biggest defender of privacy rights is hailing a Colorado police department's body camera program as a national model.

Parker Police Department is the latest in Colorado to require every officer on its force wear the cameras. But, it's the first to be endorsed by the American Civil Liberties Union for its policies on whom to record, when to record and where to record.

Denise Maes with the ACLU says the policies leave little to the discretion of officers.

"They do strike the right balance between ensuring the privacy not only of the individuals who may be subject to the camera itself but to police officers privacy as well. And it also creates a great deal of transparency which is what we think the citizens of Parker are seeking; and under that sort of transparency comes a great deal of community trust," said Maes.

The policies spell out exactly when a camera is on and when it is off. Officers working off-duty are required to wear the cameras too.

"Because we know off-duty police officers, when they're working in bars and other establishments, have a high amount of encounters with the public and problems can happen," said Maes.

There are also rules on how long to keep the footage and what can be released; along with technology to blur faces and encryption to prevent anyone from tampering with a tape.

Parker Police Chief David King says the cameras are to protect the public and police, "I think when people are being recorded they act differently."

The department began researching the cameras two years ago, long before high profile cases like Ferguson.

"The Parker Police Department has been cutting edge when it comes to technology," said King.

Parker Police Lieutenant Chris Peters says the cameras are already making a difference.

"We already have several success stories of complaints that kind-of start the process and then when it was pointed out the interaction was on video, the complaint was removed," said Peters.

Eighty percent of law enforcement in Colorado has or is considering body cameras as standard equipment. The ACLU hopes Parker will be a model on how to use them responsibly.

"This really is an opportunity to call on other police departments statewide to follow lead of the Parker Police Department," said Maes.

Parker police bought 71 body cameras at a cost of about $28,000. The department will spend more than $290,000 over the next five years on data storage.

Shaun Boyd is CBS4's political specialist. She's a veteran reporter with more than 25 years of experience. Follow her on Twitter @cbs4shaun.