Little Rock has issued a request for proposals from vendors for body-worn cameras for its police officers, a move Mayor Frank Scott Jr. pledged in last week's state of the city speech, but one that hasn't happened before because of the cost.
"In the spirit of accountability and transparency, I'm pleased to announce the [city's] solicitation for body camera vendors," the mayor wrote in a tweet Monday evening. "The RFP was issued today so that we can find the best fit for [Little Rock police] and our residents."
Between 250 and 450 Little Rock officers would be outfitted with the body-worn cameras, according to the request available on the city's website. The department has about 600 officers in total.
The devices would ideally have software that allows them to work with the in-car video cameras the department currently uses, the request states. The vendor would be required to provide training on the use of body-worn cameras and storage systems.
Little Rock's newly selected Police Chief Keith Humphrey said he was happy to hear the news that Little Rock was moving toward acquiring the cameras.
"I think it's amazing. I think that it's a technology that's been overdue in the department," Humphrey said by phone Monday. "I can tell you, just in talking to a few officers, they're excited about it. They're looking forward to it. The department has always had the in-car cameras, but this takes transparency to a different level."
Humphrey, who will be on the job by the end of the month, said he was part of implementing the technology as police chief in Norman. The process took about two years, he said, and involved drafting a policy both officers and community members understood. He said he didn't get pushback from the department but wanted to make sure officers knew they wouldn't be targeted.
"I think that it provides transparency to the community. The cameras can also be utilized as a training resource. It gives the citizens comfort that we're not trying to hide anything," Humphrey said. "We should also be able to display if we make a mistake and we make a mistake that we can learn from."
Little Rock Police Department leadership has pushed for body-worn cameras before, but never got beyond a trial run. Assistant Chief Alice Fulk said the department started looking into them in 2014. She estimated that outfitting the department could cost at least $1 million. It wouldn't just be for the cameras, she said -- the department would likely need to pay additional staffers to work on a greater volume of Arkansas Freedom of Information Act requests.
"We have never been able to have funding for them and for the additional staff," Fulk said. "I just think obviously from a transparency standpoint, I think citizens feel more comfortable, they can see what's going on, they know how the officers are acting, they know how the citizens are acting."
The city has a $210 million budget for 2019, with about $79 million going to the Police Department.
Metro on 04/02/2019