New study says bodycams on the rise for law enforcement agencies in Maine

Uptake of body-worn cameras is on the rise for law enforcement agencies in Maine, according to a recent study commissioned by the state attorney general.

About 70 percent of law enforcement agencies in Maine that responded to a recent survey are using the cameras. Three years ago, roughly half of all Maine law enforcement agencies had adopted them.

Researcher George Shaler is with the University of Southern Maine’s Catherine Cutler Institute. He said the cost of adopting body-worn cameras is still a big barrier for local enforcement, particularly for smaller agencies.

“This is not a one-time expense. Because one of the ongoing expenses with body worn cameras is data storage. I mean body-worn cameras generate an incredible amount of data. And that needs to be stored somewhere,” Shaler said.

Shaler said each law enforcement agency has its own body camera policy. But the study suggests that Maine considers adopting a set of minimum, statewide policy standards, so that the public can expect some consistency among different local agencies.

“Because if someone gets called into question in one community, and there’s a certain policy in place in that community. And then meanwhile, in another community where the policy may be different, there are going to be some very different expectations created,” Shaler said.

This article appears through a media partnership with Maine Public.