Kasson Police Chief hopes to equip cops with body worn cameras

Body worn cameras for police officers isn’t a new concept, and now the Kasson Police Department may be the next police department to get them.
“It’s been my goal for about four years to get them,” Kasson Police Chief Josh Hanson said in a phone interview Monday.
Last week, Hanson presented an initial draft of a proposed policy for body cameras.
In order to eventually use them, it would require a public hearing, then a positive vote by the city council to approve the policy.
Hanson said money has ultimately been a hinderance in getting them in Kasson.
“We haven’t had the money in the budget,” Hanson said.
If the council is to approve the policy, Hanson said the hope would be to include it in the next budget, or use left over funds this year to cover the costs, or potentially even have deferred costs from the company in order to purchase them sooner.
Body worn cameras is something Dodge County Sheriff Scott Rose sees as an investment.
Checksand Balances
Rose said the county implemented the body worn camera program four years ago and said they believe “it’s an absolute necessity to help mitigate liability for the county and our taxpayers.”
“The BWC program is a great checks-and-balances program to ensure our deputies are being responsible and performing their job appropriately,” Rose wrote in an email. “The BWC’s also protect our deputies from false allegations of misconduct or inappropriate actions by those we encounter on calls. In four years, we’ve not had a case where the video has been used to prove wrongdoing by our staff. We have, however, used the BWC video on several occasions to debunk false allegations by the public/suspects. It’s saved us hours of investigations and legal liability with baseless officer complaints because the video doesn’t lie.”
Hanson said the cameras can also be used to help with evidence in cases.
For example, in a domestic violence call, officers may arrive at a scene, which could then be shown to a potential jury down the line.
“In this day and age, I don’t know why any agency, city, or county would take the risk of not utilizing a BWC program,” Rose wrote.
Differing Opinions
During the city council meeting, City Administrator Tim Ibisch noted he has reservations about body worn cameras.
“I just wanted to note I have a long standing reservation about body worn cameras. I have communicated that with council before but brought this to you today because I know the police chief’s interested in implementing those this fall in this fall’s budget,” he said.
Hanson during the meeting, was also asked if there were any concerns with staff regarding potentially having body cameras in the future.
He said there aren’t any reservations with the rank in file officers in the department.
“I think the majority of cops want them,” Hanson said.