Lincoln Police to spend $3.3 million over five years on body cameras and Tasers

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LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – The city council this week approved a Lincoln Police Department contract for upgraded equipment.

For $660,000 a year over the five-year contract, LPD will get 330 new tasers and 250 new body-worn cameras from Axon Enterprise.

It will also spend just over $40,000 on 20 in-car cameras, which will be added as cruisers are replaced every year.

Axon, which develops technology and weapons for military and law enforcement agencies, has been supplying LPD with tasers already.

Acting Police Chief Michon Morrow said the department currently has about 100 body cams, which have to be shared among officers.

But with the new additions, each officer on the street will get one.

Morrow said LPD’s northeast precinct team has already been doing a trial run of the new body cams, and they’ll be implementing more of the equipment over time.

“We went into this wanting to be very thorough with understanding of pros and cons and learn from others’ experiences,” she said.

Officers will be scheduled for eight-hour training days with all the new equipment.

Axon representatives said the new Tasers can reach up to 45 feet, compared with 25 feet for previous ones.

The new body cams offer sharper images, improved visibility and a larger field of view.

They also include GPS to locate officers and allow multiple people in the department to see a livestream of an officer’s point of view.

There’s also a Bluetooth feature that connects with the officer’s Tasers and firearm holsters, so they will automatically record when either one is drawn.

“I don’t want, nor does anyone in leadership want, them to have to be concerned with pausing their reaction to turn their body worn camera on,” Morrow said. “So that Bluetooth signal will do that for them.”

SEE ALSO: Acting Chief Michon Morrow shares her vision for Lincoln Police Department

Morrow said outside of an officer drawing those weapons, when and what the cameras record is partially up to the officer.

She said it depends on their interactions with the community and whether a crime has occurred. But generally, calls to service will be recorded.

“We trust our officers, they’re trained and we believe in them and support them,” Morrow said. “This is a tool for officer safety and efficiency and for us to progress. Body-worn cameras have become essential, and we appreciate having that tool available to us.”

She said there may be some instances when an officer will turn off the camera, such as “tactical investigatory conversations” among officers.

Morrow also said the department is still working on a process for releasing footage to the public.

She is taking into consideration the importance of accountability and transparency, while respecting the privacy of citizens and protecting the integrity of investigations.

“We don’t want to jeopardize a case,” she said.