SEATTLE – Council President Bruce Harrell issued the following statement following the announcement of the Mayor’s Executive Order on Body Cameras:
“I support the Mayor’s decision today to use his executive order authority to immediately begin equipping police officers with body cameras. While we respect the collective bargaining process and have been very patiently working with all parties involved, deploying cameras on our police officers is long overdue. The Federal Monitor as well as the Federal Judge have approved their deployment. The funding has already been authorized, the hardware platform and training is ready to go, and the policies have been approved by the Federal Judge. The ongoing collective bargaining process should not sideline an effective tool that will improve police accountability and help our police officers. Community survey after community survey states that body cameras are wanted by both police officers and community members with 92% supportive. As we move forward, I expect a learning curve for both officers and civilians, as well as a refinement and improvement of policy. But we cannot stand idly by and let the perfect be the enemy of the good.”