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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Parts of Normal Neighborhood Plan approved ... Pacific fisher sculpture dedicated in Ashland ... Techtoberfest has high-tech speakers and exhibits ... Parts of Normal Neighborhood Plan approved ... Pacific fisher sculpture dedicated in Ashland ... Techtoberfest has high-tech speakers and exhibits ... POLICE Medford police join in move to body cams Comment By Thomas Moriarty Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Thomas Moriarty Mail Tribune Posted May. 1, 2015 at 5:12 PM Updated May 2, 2015 at 2:00 AM By Thomas Moriarty Mail Tribune Posted May. 1, 2015 at 5:12 PM Updated May 2, 2015 at 2:00 AM » Social News Amid a national discussion about police violence, Medford police are looking to join departments across the country in outfitting officers with body cameras. But Medford police say their decision wasn't prompted by the recent civil unrest that followed the deaths of several men in police custody. Medford police Lt. Scott Clauson said his department has been testing various types of personal video recording devices since August, but said the agency's decision to pursue their use had nothing to do with the events in Baltimore and elsewhere. "We really started looking at these beforehand," he said. Medford police officials have said the cameras will provide both evidence and transparency through documenting encounters. Nationally, supporters of body cameras say they will hold police accountable and provide evidence in cases such as the deaths of 25-year-old Freddie Gray in Baltimore and 18-year-old Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo. The Medford department is asking the city for $180,000 for the cameras as part of its 2015-2017 budget. It will be the fourth in Jackson County to start using body cameras, after Central Point, Talent and Eagle Point. The Central Point Police Department has been using body cameras since 2008, longer than any other agency in the area. Lt. Scott Logue said there wasn't any particular precipitating incident behind the department's decision to start using the cameras — it just seemed like a good idea. "Where it combats hearsay a lot is if there's a citizen complaint," he said. "As far as court cases go, it's kind of the expectation of the district attorney's office that Central Point police will have video." Logue said the videos have made it much easier for officers to directly quote suspects and witnesses when writing their reports. The Bodycam-brand cameras used by Central Point police have an LCD screen on the back that allows the officer to view recorded video in the field, Logue said, but in practice, most officers wait until they upload the video back at the office to review it. Logue said every uniformed officer in the department is equipped with a body camera, and the department has several extra cameras, one of which is given to front-counter records staff in case somebody becomes disorderly in the lobby. Talent police Chief Mike Moran said his department has been using Axon-brand body cameras, made by the Taser corporation, for a little over a year, and said they've proven a valuable evidentiary tool. While there wasn't one incident that made him want the cameras, he said, one case of alleged misconduct by an officer sticks out in his mind. "An individual made some serious allegations about misconduct (by) an officer. (The complainant) didn't realize we had video in the car." That video disproved the complainant's version of the events, Moran said. Clauson said the Medford Police Department is still trying to decide how to store the video, which technically constitutes a public record under Oregon law and can be subject to varying retention requirements, depending on whether the incident results in a criminal prosecution. Options range from Web-based cloud storage services to on-site storage on a department server, both of which can run thousands of dollars. Moran said his department contracts with an online storage company to host its video for the length of its records retention requirements, which can be tricky budgetwise, since the cost of the storage is based on data used, which can vary widely from year to year. He said the department was looking at various options to reduce the overall cost of storage, such as possibly removing the video from the cloud storage and burning it onto DVDs after a certain amount of time. Central Point officers upload their videos to a department server at the end of their shift, Logue said, where retention is handled by their evidence personnel. Moran said that while the videos can prove invaluable as evidence, there are still a lot of gray areas in Oregon's public records law that can pose issues with personal privacy. He pointed to the example of a domestic dispute in which no charges are filed as a case whose disclosure on video might not be in the public interest. Clauson said Medford police are still finalizing their policy for the cameras, but added they most likely will not be recording constantly. "The national standard seems to be that anytime an enforcement action is taken, (the camera is activated)." Editor's note: This story has been corrected to reflect the potential source of funding for the cameras. Reach reporter Thomas Moriarty at [email protected] . Follow him at @ThomasDMoriarty . By Thomas Moriarty Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Thomas Moriarty Mail Tribune Posted May. 1, 2015 at 5:12 PM Updated May 2, 2015 at 2:00 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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