A year later and still no body-worn cameras for FPD

 

On May 6^th 2023 at a FinCom meeting held on a Saturday in the Blumer room, a member of the public handed Chief Baker a copy of the Body-worn camera grant application from the Commonwealth. It is 8 pages long and asks in detail how FPD will use the grant funds for body-cams. These grants have been available since 2020 and were discussed at various public meetings with Mayor Sisitky and Chief Baker. From 2021 until May of 2023 Chief Baker did not apply for the grants and the calls for transparency and accountability at FPD. The mayor did nothing on the grant funding from the time he took office in 2022. The grant application was finally submitted to the state on 7.27.23.  

Approved by the State on Oct 6^th 2023 for $211K for 140 body-worn cameras, the public learned in late 2023, from the mayor that Chief Baker did not want to require his department to wear the cameras. At a district council meeting in late 2023 the current patrolman’s contract would not prevent FPD management from directing FPD rank and file members to wear the body-cams without negotiations.

Since 2020, at no point did any of the city councilors or the mayor suggest or recommend or even show much interest in police reform, transparency, or accountability.  Now the public waits to hear how much extra money the unions want taxpayers to pay for transparency and accountability from its police force.