Sheboygan police begin 30-day trial run with officer body cameras

SHEBOYGAN -- Milwaukee police aren't the only Wisconsin department putting body cameras out on the street this week. Sheboygan police have also launched their pilot program. While the amount of cameras in the initial roll-out is quite different from Milwaukee, police in Sheboygan face similar questions.

Captain Steve Cobb displayed the next two body cameras on Friday, October 23rd as part of a 30-day trial run. They'll join the one camera Sheboygan police already have out on patrol.

Sheboygan body cameras

"That camera has gone out every night this week so far," said Captain Steve Cobb, Sheboygan Police Department.

Much like the Milwaukee police body camera policy, Sheboygan officers will have the discretion to not record their response to sensitive incidents, such as sexual assaults or calls involving children.

In September, Milwaukee residents at a meeting dedicated to body cameras, told the Fire and Police Commission they want the cameras to record an officer's entire shift.

"If officers control when and where these body cameras are filming, just how will the public be able to trust them to maintain their own accountability?" said a concerned citizen.

Sheboygan body cameras

Neither Milwaukee nor Sheboygan officers' cameras will record everything. Instead, officers will only activate the cameras when responding to a call or initiating contact with a citizen.

Cobb says recording every single minute of a shift would be a logistical nightmare.

Sheboygan body cameras

"You're either going to fill your memory on your device or you're going to drain your battery down to dead," said Cobb.

Cobb says the other concern is widespread open records requests, and determining what might violate the privacy of others.

"We will weigh the request for the record individually to see whether it meets one of the exclusions for why we wouldn't release that and certainly privacy may become an issue on those," Cobb said.

Again, the trial run in Sheboygan will eventually include seven body cameras. The department's goal is to outfit all 61 patrol officers, lieutenants, and detectives with cameras by 2017.

If you'd like to read more on Sheboygan's body camera policy, CLICK HERE.