Le Center Police Department aims to implement bodycams next year

Le Center is joining the increasing number of police departments across the state of Minnesota implementing body worn cameras.

On Tuesday, June 11, Police Chief Mitch Overn presented the City Council with a $104,000 quote from Axon, payable over a five year period, to equip the city’s police department with body worn cameras and tasers. Should the city go ahead with ordering the body worn cameras, the Police Department intends to have the technology up and running by the first day of the new year.

Multiple members of the City Council were favorable to the proposal, with Councilor Dan Steffen, a former Le Center Police Sergeant, commenting that it would make the community and policing safer.

“It’s been a necessity for the PD for years,” said Steffen. “Safety for officers, safety for the public.”

A growing number of Minnesota communities have been adopting body-worn cameras in an effort to increase transparency, build public trust and improve the quality of evidence available to investigators. In addition to serving as an evidence-gathering tool in police-civilian encounters, proponents say the technology can also capture valuable footage which can serve as evidence in criminal trials.

Mayor Christian Harmeyer, and Councilor Nathan Hintz, who also serves as police chief for the city of Montgomery, added the technology could protect the city from a liability standpoint in the event a false complaint was filed against an officer.

“The way things are, it backs ourselves up in any liabilities that might arise,” said Harmeyer.

“One litigation and it pays for itself,” Hintz added.

Before the City Council decided whether to set aside funds for the purchase of body cameras in next year’s budget, City Administrator Dan Evans advised the council set up public hearings on a body worn camera policy. Such a policy would determine when body cameras should be recording, how long the data is stored by the city and when footage can be released.