After years of discussions, police in Vancouver will soon have body cameras on patrol.
The move is aimed at increasing transparency and greater trust in VPD investigations and day-to-day policing. Local civil rights groups, which have long called for the use of cameras, are optimistic.
“For us, it seems like a long way to go because we’re just getting started on this project. But we’re already here,” Assistant Police Chief Troy Price said Monday night. “We envision this will bring us to the standard we should have been some time ago.”
Vancouver City Hall
Molly Solomon/OPB
Vancouver police say body cameras will be deployed over the next three months. Spokesman Kim Kapp could not say Tuesday how the agency plans to roll out the technology among its 213 sworn employees.
The move comes after Vancouver City Council on Monday approved a $5.5 million contract with Axon Enterprises, Inc. The Arizona-based vendor sells TASER brand of weapons, cameras and records management software.
The contract calls for more than 200 body cameras, more than 200 new Tasers, cameras in the patrol car’s dashboard and cab, automatic license plate readers on patrol cars, and new cameras in the agency’s interview room. The deal includes the new Taser Target and nine HTC-branded virtual reality headsets, which retail for more than $1,000 on the company’s website.
The city’s contract also pays for Axon’s software and training services. The company provides data storage for the vast amount of footage and pictures that will be recorded by body cameras and license plate readers. The contract also includes vouchers for lessons to use the new Tasers.
The body camera is still a marquee item. Public calls for the devices date back to 2019, when Vancouver police shot people four times in five weeks.
Three people were killed in the shooting. The two — Carlos Hunt, 43, and Clayton Joseph, 16 — are people of color. The third is Michael Pierce, 29, who is homeless and believed to be in the midst of a mental health crisis.
Since then, Vancouver police have used lethal force at least four times.
“While the process took longer than expected…we are glad it was finally adopted,” said Jasmine Tolbert, president of the Vancouver chapter of the NAACP.
At the same meeting Monday night, Vancouver councillors agreed to pay $725,000 to William Abbe’s family. Three police officers shot and killed the 50-year-old man as they investigated the attack. A bystander recorded the encounter, which played a major role in a wrongful death lawsuit filed by his family more than a year later.
Vancouver’s adoption of police body cameras — though not the first in Clark County — is significant because it is the largest police agency in southwest Washington and can serve as a roadmap for smaller police agencies, according to local officials.
“The bottom line is that it would be great if all (law enforcement agencies) in Clark County were using the same system,” Clark County Sheriff Chuck Atkins said.
The Clark County Sheriff’s Office does not yet have a body camera. Atkins said the agency tested a vendor in 2021, but has been struggling with funding.
In August, local voters passed a partial sales tax that guarantees public safety. The county is expected to net about $7 million from the tax, while the city will allocate about $4.8 million based on population size. Atkins said the county has yet to finalize its spending plans.
“That money won’t come to fruition until March. With the election approaching, nothing will really be finalized,” Atkins said of the November election.
Camas Police Department reached its own agreement with Axon late last year and launched its camera program in March. No other agency in Clark County has introduced a body camera program.
The Washougal Police Department has already tested two vendors this year and hopes to receive funding next year. Ridgefield Police Department officials said body cameras were “on their radar.”
Still, local leaders were quick to remind the public that body cameras won’t solve all problems. Vancouver City Councilman Ty Stober called the cameras “really exciting” but warned “they’re not the truth.”
“I think there’s a lot of people who think they’re going to be the truth,” Stober said. “They’re a data point that can help us serve the public.”
NAACP Vancouver president Tolbert said she and other civil rights groups plan to take a closer look at how the footage is used.
Vancouver police spokesman Karp told OPB that the agency already has some policies in place for the new program. She added that these policies are being revised and the updated policy will be implemented before the camera rolls out.
