Neronha, Mello endorse body cameras



Legislation requested by the attorney general of Rhode Island would equip every uniformed patrol officer in the state with a body camera by 2023.

According to Peter Neronha, a Jamestown resident, every criminal case evaluated for prosecution comes down to two questions: What happened, and how do I prove what happened?

“If we cannot answer those questions, justice remains elusive,” he said. “Body-worn cameras can be a powerful tool in our efforts to deliver justice. They show us what happened. They promote accountability for police. They provide compelling evidence where prosecution of a member of the public is warranted. They build community trust. We’ll get better results.”

Gov. Dan McKee stands behind Neronha’s proposal. He said introducing the legislation is “an important step forward in strengthening trust, accountability and transparency between our police officers and the people they protect and serve.”

There are roughly 1,700 police officers in Rhode Island, including about a dozen in Jamestown. Ed Mello, chief of the local force, said he is “100 percent” behind the proposal. As a member of the executive board for the Rhode Island Police Chiefs Association, he has been working behind the scenes with Neronha and state troopers on the initiative.

“This will be great for everyone so we can hold people accountable,” Mello said.

The statewide program grew from a year of intensive research, planning and testing by law enforcement leaders across the state. The comprehensive approach to equip all uniformed patrol officers provides five years of money to every police department in Rhode Island to purchase and operate the cameras. It also requires the development of a statewide policy to ensure the effective use of the cameras.

Neronha’s office began developing the program in fall 2020 by researching best practices and engaging with vendors. The initiative was part of the Twenty for 2020 campaign, a set of 20 promises by the chiefs association to ensure the public’s faith in its agencies by redoubling a focus on training, transparency, communication and civil rights.

According to McKee, the program aims to maximize federal aid and efficiently use state dollars, including a commitment of up to $1 million from the attorney general’s office. Around $3 million annually in state funding is necessary to ensure all departments can purchase and deploy the cameras for a five-year implementation period. McKee’s office said this would give “cities and towns the runway they need to budget for future maintenance.”

The legislation also will create statewide policies to ensure the cameras are used effectively. These rules will address usage of cameras, notice to the public, records retention, privacy protections, open records and compliance monitoring. To be eligible for aid, local departments will need to follow these policies.

“Body-worn cameras are an essential piece of equipment for all members of law enforcement,” said Col. James Manni, superintendent of the Rhode Island State Police. “They are a key tool for creating transparency, maintaining the public’s trust, enhancing safety and increasing accountability for officers and members of the public. This statewide program will ensure that policies and practices governing the use of body-worn cameras are consistent across all jurisdictions and will allow all departments to have access to this critical equipment.”

The adoption of cameras has been a priority in Rhode Island that was underscored by the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis in May 2020, which was captured on video. Police in Providence and Newport already have implemented body cameras.

According to Mello, while the cameras themselves are “fairly inexpensive in the grand scheme of things,” the management and storage of data will provide a challenge. Developing a policy, including provisions that govern when cameras should be on and when videos should be publicly released, also need to be “carefully considered.”

Mello’s department introduced cruiser cameras about 10 years ago, but they were phased out in 2019. He said trouble with that technology underscores the importance of developing “a rock-solid plan” before introducing the program.

“It was a great experience for us in terms of challenges,” he said. “The last thing you want, particularly in today’s day and age, is to have an encounter, and the suspect sees that camera, then for whatever reason, you have to explain that it didn’t upload correctly. That will further erode public trust. That’s why we have to be very deliberate. Otherwise, it’ll just be another question mark. We still have a lot of work to do.”