Police Chief reports body camera program off to good start

Pueblo’s police chief reported to City Council Tuesday that his agency’s new body camera program is going well.

It’s been one month since Pueblo Police Department put body cameras on its officers on the streets. Chief Luis Velez said he is pleased with the program’s implementation.

“The good news is, it’s working as advertised and no major complaints have popped up,” said Velez.

The agency’s deputy chief, Troy Davenport, voiced similar sentiments.

“I really think this has been great for the community. I think people by and large have embraced it; it will help. I think it will change the way we prosecute cases. So far we have not seen any downsides,” said Davenport.

During the last month, police officers have recorded 10,000 videos. Of those recordings, around 1,600 have involved felony cases. The police department has already shared video with the district attorney’s office.

Davenport said the cameras have changed behavior in both officers and citizens in a positive way.

“Citizens have changed their behavior for the better, knowing they are on camera. In some instances, it’s given us an opportunity to have a discussion with an officer about better service to our community,” said Davenport.

The most costly part of the program so far is storing the video. It will cost Pueblo police $88,000 a year to store the video.

City Council members said they are pleased the program is increasing safety for officers and citizens. Council members asked about costs, safety and general perceptions.

Velez and Davenport also played a video of a traffic stop during the presentation. The officer did not tell the citizen he was being recorded. When asked about this by a council member, Velez said it is not part of the department’s policy to make their officers tell each citizen they are being recorded.

“In Colorado, one person can decide what they video or capture on audio,” said Velez.

There are high-level officers within the department that do not have body cameras right now. Davenport said they would be interested in purchasing cameras for those officers if more funding became available.