Pueblo police chief takes questions on body cameras

Pueblo Police Chief Luis Velez said within one week of officers starting to wear body cameras, they’ve captured critical evidence, most notably video of an officer-involved shooting.

“It is unfortunate that within the first week that we capture these kinds of images, but it does give you a sense of the power of the video footage,” Velez said.

Officers shot and killed a burglary suspect, 26-year-old Orlando Lopez, on Sunday after he reportedly shot at officers.

Velez said he couldn’t talk about the video taken during the shooting because it’s still under investigation. But that kind of video recording is a first for the department.

“We never would have had that kind of information previously,” he said.

At least one officer was wearing a body camera during the shooting, according to Lisa Shorter, a spokeswoman for the Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office, which is leading the investigation into the shooting. When KRDO NewsChannel 13 asked Velez why all of the officers weren’t wearing body cameras, he said the shooting happened as officers were changing shifts.

“We had officers in the field already and we had officers that were just arriving at the station,” Velez said. “Some officers were directed to immediately go to their vehicles and go out to the field and they never had a chance to go into the station to pick up their cameras.”

During a news conference Tuesday, Deputy Chief Troy Davenport presented a video taken with a body camera that showed a staged traffic stop.

“A handwritten report and eyewitnesses are one thing but a video oftentimes is compelling evidence. It captures things that officers just cannot capture in words,” Davenport said.

The cameras are expected to reduce complaints against officers. Velez cited an incident from last week where someone came into the department to complain about an officer.

“The sergeant was able to look at the video immediately and he asked the citizen ‘tell me where the officer did or said what you told me he did or said.’ And of course the citizen realized it had been captured on video and he decided to walk away,” Velez said.

Only patrol and traffic officers are required to wear cameras. Velez wouldn’t say why sworn officers with higher ranks, like sergeants and captains, aren’t required to wear body cameras. He said it’s part of the department’s strategy.