Members of the Winbourne Consulting staff met with stakeholders in Springfield all week continuing their work toward the implementation of the Springfield Police Department’s Body-Worn Camera system. Winbourne Vice President of Public Safety Tom Maureau stated the week’s goals included developing strategic objectives, discovering what is mission critical to the Springfield Police Department, speaking to stakeholders, establishing a project team and beginning the development of a project plan and schedule.
“Winbourne’s consultants have been providing us with excellent guidance walking us through various scenarios we need to consider as a police department to ultimately select the best system that will benefit the entire city,” said Acting Commissioner Cheryl Clapprood.
Maureau said some police departments that have rushed to purchase and implement body worn camera systems have had to give up their camera system, “the failure to do a feasibility study and understand the total (long-term) cost of ownership has led to numerous problems.”
These costs include, but are not limited to; secure video storage, additional personnel to respond to public records requests, time to redact video, the type of body-worn camera system purchased, how many cameras are purchased, the accessories each camera has, training and overtime.
Maureau says implementing a body-worn camera system is not a cookie cutter approach, “every police department and every city is unique and has different objectives and challenges. These decisions require collaboration between the police department, city and District Attorney’s office.”
Maureau understands the urgency expressed by Mayor Domenic J. Sarno and Acting Commissioner Cheryl Clapprood to get this program off the ground as soon as possible, but stresses due diligence so that the taxpayers get their monies worth.
“This initiative is something that I and Acting Commissioner Clapprood have steadfastly believed in. With all our proactive public safety programs, this will only continue to enhance mutual respect and trust with all of our Springfield community. My administration, through our CAFO TJ Plante, has made this a funding priority,” said Mayor Domenic J. Sarno.
Maureau says he wants to find a balance between expediting this program and doing it right, “the goal is to give the city and police department all the pertinent information up-front for all aspects of a body-worn camera system so they can make informed decisions when it is time to purchase and implement the system and that those decisions lead to the ongoing support of the program.”
Winbourne Consulting will be working with the project team and returning in the next few weeks to develop a project schedule.