Sheriff Clay Whittle made the decision years ago not to ask for funding to equip his officers with body cams, and he says he has not changed his mind. Whittle says that unless he is compelled by state law, he has no plans to make it policy for a multitude of reasons.
“First, it is enormously expensive,” he says. ”It is not just the cameras themselves, but we have to pay for the storage of all of that video.”
Whittle went on to explain that he doesn’t want to create a morale issue with his officers feeling they are being watched constantly and that it could affect their decision-making abilities, ultimately putting their lives at risk if they don’t act quickly enough for fear the camera footage could be taken out of context.
[adrotate banner=”23″]
“My officers are some of the best trained police officers in the state of Georgia,” Whittle says. “We constantly train our officers, and I have all the confidence in the world in the men and women who wear the uniform in Columbia County.”
A study commissioned by the Pew Institute backs up some of Whittle’s assertions. The study, which was published by Pew’s Stateline newsletter, claims “(T)he study, which looked at 70 other body-worn camera studies published through June 2018, found the cameras have not had statistically significant effects on most measures of officer and citizen behavior or citizens’ views of police.”
However, two other local law enforcement leaders differ.
North Augusta Public Safety Chief John C. Thomas says his office was one of the first in the CSRA to embrace the technology, and he feels it was the right decision.
“It’s a great tool. Complaints from the citizens are way down. I can’t think of any reason not to use body cams,” he says. “The body cams have a benefit to both the officers and the public.”
Burke County Sheriff Alphonso WIlliams agrees with Thomas and goes a step further.
“I love and respect Sheriff Whittle, but I have to disagree with him on this,” Williams says. “The cameras have only had a positive impact on our daily operations.”
[adrotate banner=”19″]
Williams tells several stories about citizen complaints that body cam footage proved false. One story was that an officer tried to flirt with someone and ask for their phone number at a road stop. The officer’s body cam told a different story.
“We had a lady come in to complain that her teenage daughter was harassed by an officer at a road stop when the girl was driving home from school,” Williams says. “The mother claimed the officer tried to aggressively press her about having drugs in the car. I showed the entire tape of the road stop to her, and it showed the exact opposite had happened.”
Williams says that in that instance, the mother was shocked by her child’s behavior and apologized.
Regardless of Pew’s findings and other studies, it seems some law enforcement officers believe body cams are a tool that benefits everyone, regardless of the cost.
“This is about transparency,” Williams says. “It is about public trust. I cannot imagine anyone in the year 2021 not thinking that having a record of police encounters are a good thing.”
Whittle remains fixed on his position and says he has no plans to bow to pressure and institute body cams in Columbia County on his watch.
Scott Hudson is the Managing Editor of The Augusta Press. Reach him at scott@theaugustapress.com
[adrotate banner=”43″]
