LYNN — Lynn Police officers will be required to wear body cameras, beginning on Feb. 1, following an agreement reached between Mayor Thomas M. McGee and the Lynn Police Association.
The agreement is the result of months of conversations among the city, police and community stakeholders, which were centered around how to achieve racial and social justice, and how to provide more transparency and accountability around interactions between civilians and police.
As part of the new policy, officers who are assigned on patrol duty will record all contact with civilians in the following situations:
- Vehicle stops
- Investigation person stops
- All dispatched calls for service involving contact with civilians
- Initial responses by patrol officers to calls
- Transport of prisoners
- Pat frisk and searches of persons incident to arrest
- Incidents of emergency and pursuit driving
- When an officer reasonably believes a crowd control incident may result in unlawful activity
- Any adversarial contact, including a use of force incident
McGee, Interim Police Chief Leonard Desmarais and Timothy Donovan, president of the Lynn Police Association, the department’s union, all expressed support for the new policy, which was announced on Friday.
“I think it will improve trust in our department in the community,” said Desmarais. “I also think it will show the respect officers treat people with and the restraint they practice in very difficult situations.”
McGee called the new policy a “step in the right direction” and one that shows that city officials heard the feedback from the community, which called for certain changes to “ensure our system is more just for all.”
“Today’s agreement is a step in the right direction,” said McGee. “I am grateful to the Lynn Police Association for their collaboration and willingness to act quickly with the city once we submitted this proposal. I strongly believe the use of body cameras will create a safer and more transparent environment both for members of the public and Lynn Police officers.”
McGee plans to ask the City Council to authorize a transfer from the city’s reserve account to purchase the body camera system, which is anticipated to cost approximately $250,000 annually.
An additional cost of approximately $75,000 will be incurred annually, based on the $400 stipend for each member of the Lynn Police Association that was negotiated as part of the agreement, according to McGee’s office.
“The Lynn Police Association recognizes that body worn cameras are a necessary tool in this era of police reform,” said Donovan. “The men and women of the Lynn Police Department are diligent police officers who perform their duties every day to the highest standards in the policing profession. Body cameras can be an unbiased witness that will provide transparency in all situations.”
Once the city signs a contract with the body camera system vendor, which will comply with the policy and technology the department currently has, the vendor will train all officers in the use of the equipment.
