Madison police are hosting another body cam meeting this week. Here’s how to get involved.

March 9, 2022 11:40 AM

Jaymes Langrehr,

Posted: March 9, 2022 11:40 AM

Updated: March 9, 2022 6:37 PM

by Jaymes Langrehr

MADISON, Wis. — The Madison Police Department is holding another public meeting this week as Chief Shon Barnes continues his push for a pilot program for police body cameras, and this time the meeting will be virtual.

The meeting will be held between 6:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. on Thursday, March 10. Chief Barnes will make a presentation during the meeting, and will field questions afterwards.

People attending the meeting will have the chance to make public comments after the presentation, and written statements will also be collected. People who want to participate will need to register ahead of time, and speaking time will be limited to three minutes per speaker.

This will be the latest meeting hosted by the Madison Police Department as they try to sell the idea to the public — and members of the city’s council, who have tended to shy away from the proposal for several years over privacy concerns.

CITY REPORT: Police Body-Worn Camera Feasibility Review Committee

Barnes, who has been involved in implementing body cameras at other departments, has argued the cameras would help make investigations more transparent.

The police department held a public meeting and demonstration of the latest body camera technology last month in an event that was led by a company hoping to sell its cameras to the city.

In January, Madison’s Common Council decided to push a decision on a one-year pilot program that would outfit 48 officers in the city’s north police district with cameras to their April meeting. A total of about $83,000 has already been approved for the program in the city’s capital budget.