Police Deployed With Body Worn Cameras In Arlington Heights

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, IL — Last year, the Arlington Heights Police Department expanded its research into body worn cameras. According to the department, personnel conducted vigorous field-testing of available technology, examined best practices and explored digital media storage options.

In the early part of 2021, the Illinois Safety, Accountability, Fairness and Equity Today Act was signed into law by Governor J.B. Pritzker. Arlington Heights police said the sweeping legislation amended many aspects of law enforcement including officer use of force, complaint investigation, mandatory reporting and statutory requirements for the implementation of body worn cameras. While some requirements have undergone some degree of modification in the form of subsequent trailer bills, a number of them, including requirements for body worn cameras, have remained largely unchanged.

Part of Arlington Heights' expanded research into body worn cameras was to develop an implementation plan prior to the legislative requirement. At the end of the year, the department entered into an agreement with Axon Enterprise Inc., a leading innovator in public safety products.

All 109 sworn Arlington Heights officers and seven public service officers will complete the necessary training over the next few weeks.

According to the department, body worn cameras provide numerous advantages to law enforcement and the community. During tense situations, body cameras may assist in de-escalation of a potentially aggressive subject, knowing their actions are being recorded. Similarly, the cameras provide supplemental evidence for prosecution by clearly showing a judge or jury what an officer saw and/or heard during an encounter with an offender. Body worn cameras also provide for faster and unbiased resolution to potential citizen complaints. The ability to review an incident can decrease the amount of time staff spends conducting investigations and potentially avoid unnecessary costs associated with litigation.

“The ability to capture and document what transpired during an incident on audio and video from the officer’s perspective supports our commitment to instilling the highest level of public confidence,” Chief Nicholas A. Pecora, Jr. said.

The first group of Arlington Heights Police Department officers with body worn cameras will be on the street this week.

“We knew officer training would be a critical aspect going into this project. Even with body worn cameras, we are still obligated to respect the reasonable privacy expectations of citizens as required by law," Deputy Chief Greg Czernecki, who oversees the training function of the department, said. "Similarly, what an officer sees, hears, senses or experiences may not always be plainly captured on body worn cameras. These are just a few examples of topics we cover and put into real-time, scenario-based training prior to deploying the cameras.”

More information on the Body Worn Camera Program will be posted on the Village’s website.