Colorado Springs Police testing body cameras

The Colorado Springs Police Department is testing several body-camera models.

The department received $10,000 from the Police Foundation of Colorado Springs toward the pilot, but has only used $3,000 so far because camera vendors have allowed it to test them for free.

There are currently 12 cameras being tested by officers on both daytime and nighttime shifts. They have been wearing them for the last four weeks and will eventually switch to a different model. During the course of the next few months, officers will test other models.

They hope this program helps them decide whether the department should buy body cameras, and if so, which model.

Commander Pat Rigdon, who is spearheading the pilot program said the department has been researching the idea for about 18 months, but events like those in Ferguson, MO earlier this year accelerated the process.

He thinks this is something positive for the community.

“It offers a level of transparency to the community that we don’t currently have. So it’s an objective view of what occurred between our officers and citizens that we really didn’t have before,” he said. “It really does afford extra level of protection to them as well as our officers. A camera doesn’t take sides. It’s really recording what truly happened.”

Officer Barry Rizk is enjoying testing the cameras.

“It’s a reminder. I can go back and look at the video and the audio and use that as a reminder cue for something that I might have missed that the camera picked up,” he said.

He said the community has already responded to them.

“I have already had a couple of instances where I’ve told someone they’re being audio and video recorded and their behavior has gotten better almost immediately,” he said.

CSPD said prior to starting the pilot, staff met with the District Attorney’s Office and Colorado Springs Municipal Court to discuss evidentiary video obtained.