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TO: Mayor Richard C. Irvin
FROM: Kristen Ziman, Police Chief
Alexander Alexandrou, Chief Management Officer
Richard Veenstra, Corporation Counsel
Martin Lyons, Chief Financial Officer, City Treasurer
Michael Pegues, Chief Information Officer
DATE: August 28, 2020
SUBJECT:
A Resolution regarding the implementation of officer-worn body cameras, supporting system and integration to existing systems for the City of Aurora Police Department.
PURPOSE:
This Resolution is requested to clearly establish the intent of the City of Aurora to move forward with the purchase/lease of a body camera system in an expeditious yet prudent fashion. The process for obtaining such a system will take into account citizen and council input regarding the purchasing process and implementation process as provided herein and attached.
BACKGROUND:
Body camera utilization has been a major consideration for transparent law enforcement for the City over the past three years. One of the major considerations/factors that delayed the implementation of the purchase of body cameras was the status and completion of the Hexagon/E911 and accompanying records system at the Aurora Police Department (APD). This system is scheduled for final completion at the end of 2020. Any such body camera system will need to integrate with this system and as such, purchasing a system prior to the completion of the Hexagon project could have resulted in major integration problems that in turn could result in decreased functionality or increased costs or both.
As was noted to the Finance Committee, APD, Finance, IT, and Administrative staff discussed the timing of the purchase of body cameras during the 2020 budget process (summer/fall of 2019) and confirmed the above concerns regarding integration with the Hexagon/E911 system. This resulted in a timeline to review specifications during 2020 for inclusion in the 2021 budget.
Nationwide issues regarding transparency in police enforcement has increased the priority of all law enforcement agencies to consider the use of body cameras. Consistent with this environment and in response to community discussions on this issue, during the August 25, 2020 City Council meeting the City Council has given clear direction to move forward with the purchase of body cameras.
DISCUSSION:
The purpose of this memo is not to highlight all of the benefits of body cameras systems as a transparency and accountability tool for law enforcement and this will be done at a later date during the review of vendor selection. This timeline was reviewed by the Finance Committee on August 27, and is also included in this agenda item.
The requested resolution as attached is designed to clearly demonstrate the City of Aurora's commitment to this purchase and project in a prudent, transparent and expeditious manner.
This commitment involves multiple steps due to the complex nature of a body camera system that extends well beyond the purchase of the actual body worn camera.
Attached to this agenda are the following documents:
1) The Purchasing and Implementation Timeline as provided to the Finance Committee on August 27, 2020.
-- "body camera and protective gear 2020"
2) A primer from Johns Hopkins APL regarding the purchase, administration and use of body worn camera systems.
-- "2016 NIJ APL Primer on BWCs"
3) A study from Johns Hopkins APL on perceptions of body worn cameras
-- "AOS-17-1302_BWCperceptionPhase1report_FINALDRAFT"
4) The Request for Information analysis done by Marketplace.city that has been used qualify five vendors from an original list of 30. This document was produced on 8/14/20 and therefore has slightly different timelines than the timeline document presented on 8/27/20 to the Finance Committee.
-- "BWC Data Analysis_08142020-v2"
Staff will provide the Committee of the Whole a bi-weekly project status update upon the approval of this purchase as currently projected in October 2020.
IMPACT STATEMENT:
This resolution will provide commitment to the implementation of a body camera system for the City of Aurora to improve transparency, accountability and public trust in the operations of the Aurora Police Department per the goals of the Mayor's CHANGE initiative.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
That the City Council approve the attached resolution to commit the City of Aurora to the purchase and installation of a body worn camera system.
CITY OF AURORA, ILLINOIS
RESOLUTION NO. _________
DATE OF PASSAGE ________________
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A Resolution regarding the implementation of officer-worn body cameras for the City of Aurora Police Department.
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WHEREAS, the City of Aurora has a population of more than 25,000 persons and is, therefore, a home rule unit under subsection (a) of Section 6 of Article VII of the Illinois Constitution of 1970; and
WHEREAS, subject to said Section, a home rule unit may exercise any power and perform any function pertaining to its government and affairs for the protection of the public health, safety, morals, and welfare; and
WHEREAS, the City Council finds that trust and mutual respect between law enforcement agencies and the communities they protect and serve are essential to effective policing and the integrity of our criminal justice system; and
WHEREAS, the City Council finds that officer-worn body cameras have developed as a technology that has been used and experimented with by police departments throughout the nation; and
WHEREAS, the City Council finds that officer-worn body cameras will provide state-of-the-art evidence collection and additional opportunities for training and instruction; and
WHEREAS, the City Council finds that officer-worn body cameras may provide impartial evidence and documentation to settle disputes and allegations of officer misconduct; and
WHEREAS, the City Council finds that the uses of officer-worn body cameras will help collect evidence while improving transparency and accountability, and strengthening public trust; and
WHEREAS the Illinois General Assembly has enacted the Law Enforcement Officer-Worn Body Camera Act to establish standardized protocols and procedures for the use of officer-worn body cameras to ensure that this technology is used in furtherance of these goals while protecting individual privacy and providing consistency in its use across this State; and
WHEREAS, the Mayor, through his CHANGE initiative, has identified the implementation of an officer-worn body camera system by the Aurora Police Department is a key priority of his administration; and
WHEREAS, the Chief of Police has identified the implementation of officer-worn body camera system as a key priority for the Aurora Police Department; and
WHEREAS, the City Council finds that the implementation of an officer-worn body camera system by the Aurora Police Department is necessary to achieve the goals herein cited; and
WHEREAS, the City Council finds that it is essential to commence the acquisition and deployment of an officer-worn body camera system that complies with the requirements of the Law Enforcement Officer-Worn Body Camera Act forthwith and without any undue delay;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of Aurora, Illinois, as follows: that it is the policy of the City of Aurora that the acquisition of an officer-worn body camera system ("System") be completed no later than November 15, 2020; and further
BE IT RESOLVED, that it is the policy of the City of Aurora that the System shall thereafter be fully implemented as early as possible, and in no event later than 14 weeks following the delivery of the hardware comprising the System; and
BE IT RESOLVED, that any System selected in accordance with this policy be fully compliant with the provisions of the Law Enforcement Officer-Worn Body Camera Act and the rules promulgated thereunder; and further
BE IT RESOLVED, that any System selected in accordance with this policy, integrate, to the greatest extent possible with the existing software and equipment currently in use by the Police Department; and further
BE IT RESOLVED, that the Administrative Service shall by subsequent resolution propose an alternate procurement process consistent with the policy and the standards articulated hereunder to expedite the acquisition of the System to the greatest extent possible; and further
BE IT RESOLVED, that the Administrative Service shall forthwith commence discussions with the Aurora Professional Police Officers, the Aurora Sergeants Association, the Management/Supervisory Personnel of the Aurora Police Department regarding the impact of this policy: and further
BE IT RESOLVED, that the Administrative Service shall provide the City Council at the Committee of the Whole meetings a bi-weekly status update on procurement and implementation progress for the officer-worn body camera project; and further
BE IT RESOLVED, that the Administrative Service shall be and hereby is authorized and directed to take all actions necessary and convenient to carry out the purposes and objectives of this resolution consistent with any provision of law or ordinance.