Lynn chief: Body cameras coming

Police Chief Kevin Coppinger said body cameras worn by officers “are going to be the norm” in police work, adding a lot of questions need answering before cameras are standard issue equipment for police.?The courts need to decide what we can film and what we can?t,” Coppinger said.Supporters of body cameras say they help record interactions between police and members of the public, and can be helpful in determining if police have exceeded their authority.Modern technology has miniaturized cameras and placed photographic and filming capabilities into the hands of anyone with a mobile communication device.?We tell our guys 24-7, you?re on camera,” Coppinger said.Mayor Judith Flanagan Kennedy said conversations with local police officials is the starting point for any decision to outfit Lynn officers with body cameras. She is mindful of the scrutiny police faced since the death of an 18-year-old in Ferguson, Mo., a year ago, but Kennedy said she is convinced body cameras “99 out of 100 times will show police doing their job.”Lynn attorney Michael MacDonald said the Ferguson shooting contributed nationally to an “inherent distrust of police officers not only in the minority community but across the country as a whole.”?What has been caught on video shows not all law enforcement officers can be trusted,” MacDonald said.He thinks some police departments will introduce body cameras while others “will be dragging their feet.”Coppinger said privacy and public access concerns surrounding incidents filmed by police body cameras must be weighed and sorted out.?On the plus side, you have video of incidents. How much of that should be available to the public?” he asked.State Senate President Stanley Rosenberg last week said grant programs could help Massachusetts police departments buy and test cameras.MacDonald said justice on behalf of a police officer and someone accused of a crime are likely to ultimately outweigh privacy and personal harassment concerns.?Modern society is going to have to work through these issues. I?d much rather have the objective truth be available. You take the ?he said, she said? out of the equation as much as possible,” he said.