Lawyer Speaks on Use of Body Cams in Light of KPD Decision to Reinstate Program

logo-w-sunburstKayla Desroches/KMXT

The Kodiak Police Department recently reinstated its Body-Worn Camera Program with a new and improved model. Last December, KPD Chief Ronda Wallace notified her employees that the program would be suspended – not long after the city was forced to surrender a body-cam video under court order.

Play

The video in question recorded the events of Sept. 16, 2015, when three Kodiak Police officers had an encounter with a young autistic man, Nick Pletnikoff. In the days and weeks after, the officers were accused of using excessive force. While investigating, KMXT’s Freedom of Information Act request was denied by the City of Kodiak, prompting a lawsuit, in which the station prevailed, resulting in the video’s release. The Kodiak Police Department stopped using the body cams days later.

KMXT reached out to Myron Angstman, one of the attorneys representing Pletnikoff in a lawsuit against the city, and he said the body cam footage has been vital to his case.

“Even with a video tape, there’s an active dispute as to what happened, but without the video tape, we would have no chance of showing that our client was mistreated.”

He said video recordings are a valuable tool in interactions between law enforcement and the public.

“The accurate reproduction of what happens when a person is taken into custody is an important part of deciding whether or not things are done correctly, and so they routinely use recordings of interviews and other police conduct at the police station. Why not use them on the street whenever possible?”

One issue Police Chief Ronda Wallace noted with the older camera model is that it revealed the identities of those on tape, which she said can be confidential information.

“What we found was that as officers are conducting their investigations that it captures not just what the statement is being made by the person who’s the point of contact, but other individuals that are around that [wouldn’t necessarily] want to be on a video, but are now captured because they’ve walked by or they were standing at a window watching what would happen happening, and they didn’t want to be there.”

Angstman said police departments can make the decision whether to reveal the subjects’ identities or not as long as the original remains intact, and in some cases the court may get involved.

“The court can make the definitive ruling as to whether the whole tape or part of the tape should not be released to anyone and that can happen. It already does happen with regard to lots of things that take part in legal cases, so why not include body cams in that discussion?”

The camera model KPD settled on is the Axon Body from Taser International, the same company that produces the Taser stun-gun. KPD made the announcement Monday.

Check Also

Kodiak Island Borough’s assessor certified at highest level, one of five in the state of Alaska

Taxes – even just the word – can trigger a negative reaction in people. But …

%d bloggers like this: