Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Police Department Superintendent Eddie Johnson today announced the Chicago Police Department (CPD) will expedite its body worn camera expansion to every patrol officer in the City. By the end of 2017, patrol officers in all police districts in Chicago will have body cameras – one full year earlier than originally planned.

“Body cameras, while not a panacea, are a win-win for officers and the public,” said Mayor Emanuel. “They provide a firsthand look at the dangerous situations officers encounter on a daily basis, and improve transparency while building trust.”

The expedited expansion will support officers working on the street to reduce crime in neighborhoods, improve transparency and rebuild trust within the communities that police serve. With this announcement, patrol officers on all three watches in the final eight districts of the City will receive training and equipment on an accelerated schedule, completing implementation of the program a full year early.

“The citywide use of body worn cameras within the Chicago Police Department will provide a greater sense of self-awareness to both officers and the individuals that they interact with,” said Superintendent Johnson. “A heightened recognition that police-citizen communications are being recorded citywide will help our officers de-escalate otherwise tense situations, and reduce the number of incidents necessitating the use of force, as well as the number of complaints against police. The net benefit is greater safety and security to our officers, and an overall improved interaction with the general public.”

Since CPD’s body worn camera program began in January 2015, officers have taken more than 300,000 segments of footage. The pilot program launched in the Shakespeare Police District and on the Northwest Side. CPD expanded the program in the Spring of 2016 to include Austin, Wentworth, Deering, Ogden, South Chicago and Gresham. This fall, CPD announced that the second phase of body worn camera deployment would be included in the 2017 budget and rolled out in Englewood, Harrison, Chicago Lawn, Grand Crossing, Grand Central, Central and Near North. The remaining eight districts that will receive body worn cameras in 2017 include: Calumet, Near West, Jefferson Park, Albany Park, Town Hall, Lincoln, Rogers Park and Morgan Park.

The expedited expansion of Body Worn Cameras reflects the Mayor’s priority to improve public safety, and CPD’s work to advance accountability and rebuild trust with the communities they serve. These efforts build on comprehensive reforms to address the complex challenges facing the police department and its ongoing partnership with community leaders and residents. Over the past year, the City has made priority investments in de-escalation training, expanded mentorship programs for youth, advanced opportunities for communities to meaningfully connect with beat officers, and added new tools and technologies for police to do their jobs effectively. This expansion comes on the heels of the Office of Emergency Management completing Crisis Intervention Training for more than more than 425 emergency call takers and dispatchers, and announcing a new community-based pilot with the Kennedy Forum to help residents on the west side to better engage with first-responders and connect them with free mental health and crisis intervention awareness training. In November, the City published a wide-ranging report on these and other public safety reform initiatives, which can be viewed at: www.cityofchicago.org/content/dam/city/depts/mayor/Public%20Safety%20Reforms/ProgressReport-PoliceReforms.pdf

CPD is now using the latest in body worn camera technology, which is able to record up to 72-hours of high-definition video on a single charge. The cameras are a self-contained audio and video recording device to help improve usability. In preparation for widespread use of body cameras, police district stations have undergone infrastructure improvements to accommodate the increased bandwidth and technology associated with the AXON II cameras.

Officers receive both hands-on training and presentation-based instruction. Training personnel are always available to answer questions, troubleshoot technology or provide refresher instruction when requested.

The University of Illinois at Chicago's Center for Research in Law and Justice is evaluating the body worn camera program. The study will be looking at how the program is being implemented and what impact it has on the perceptions and behaviors of both police officers and the community members with whom they have contact. The research team, led by Professors Dennis Rosenbaum and William McCarty, will attempt to determine whether the cameras have any impact on the level of civility and respect exhibited by the police or community members during certain encounters, as well as evaluating officer use of force, citizen complaints, and police decision making, among other factors. UIC will also assist CPD in the development and evaluation of training surrounding the use of body cameras.

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