BAINBRIDGE ISLAND — Police officers on Bainbridge Island now have a third eye watching and documenting their encounters with the public.
Joining the badge, gun, radio and Taser is a small black box, secured snugly to the center of the chest. It’s a camera created by a Seattle company that re
cords any interaction they have on the beat.
“When a police officer goes out to any scene, there’s always two sides of the story,” said Bainbridge Island Police Cmdr. Sue Shultz. “But if you take the video, it becomes an unbiased witness that can testify to what happened during the contact.”
Four officers have been outfitted with the cameras, which cost about $1,000 apiece.
The camera could provide valuable evidence in a case. It also offers an objective version of events in controversial incident, whether it’s an officer-involved shooting or an accusation leveled against an officer.
Shultz said discussions about getting cameras began in early 2010, well before an encounter between two officers and a 43-year-old man in October.
The officers said the man — Doug Ostling — stood over one of them with an ax. The other officer opened fire. Kitsap County Prosecutor Russ Hauge ruled the shooting justified, but the man’s family has sued police in federal court.
Shultz said having a camera in that case would have been beneficial.
The department is paying for the cameras out of its casino mitigation fund, which contains money paid by the Suquamish Tribe to offset law enforcement costs of responding to the Suquamish Clearwater Casino. The fund generates about $17,000 a year.
Shultz said officers aren’t required to turn the cameras on while working. But if they do turn them on, they can’t turn them off in the middle of a call.
The cameras have a battery life of about four hours, which means they can’t be left on for an officer’s entire shift. Instead, officers turn them on during interactions with the public. When an officer returns to the office, the footage from the camera is downloaded onto a computer and saved.
Dash cams have become more common in patrol cars and in use by officers with the Poulsbo, Suquamish and Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe’s departments. The Bainbridge department is among a few in the state pioneering the portable device, made by a company called Vievu.
Shultz said the entire department will be outfitted by the end of the year.
“This is going to become a vital tool in our tool belt,” Shultz said.
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