Skokie Police To Get Bodycams In Next Year's Budget: Mayor

SKOKIE, IL — Mayor George Van Dusen announced last week the village plans to begin providing body-worn cameras to its police officers before the deadline imposed by a recently signed state law.

"We will be doing body cameras," Van Dusen said. "We will have, in the budget proposal for this next year, money set aside to begin the program."

The announcement followed months of advocacy by Skokie residents who have been calling for the village to implement body-worn cameras for increased transparency and officer accountability, particularly after the March 2020 shooting of an Evanston man by an officer in a 7-Eleven parking lot.

While some images of the incident were captured on video by the squad car's camera, the circumstances that led to the use of force can not be determined. The man was later charged with allegedly pointing an illegal firearm at police and having more than the legally permitted amount of cannabis in his possession.

Vernice Bogan, the man's mother, was one of more than a dozen citizens who have repeatedly called for body-worn cameras for police during the public comment portion of the village board meeting — currently restricted to having the village manager read emails from residents aloud into the record.

"The body camera act was established in 2016, and Skokie should not wait any longer to move forward with this," Bogan said, in a message read at the Feb. 16 meeting. "Your avoidance and silence speaks volumes."

Village officials spent more than $600,000 on an upgrade to its car-mounted video recording system in 2018. Staff argued as recently as last summer that the in-car cameras offered advantages over body-worn cameras, which are less stable and may be not be activated or turned off by officers. A list of frequently asked questions released by the village included the question: "Will the Skokie Police Department ever use body cameras?"

Instead of offering an answer one way or another, the document noted the "significant initial costs" the "significant annual maintenance fees and "an additional police position, likely at the supervisory level" the would be required. The unsigned document said police are continually reviewing best practices, technology and grant opportunities "while recognizing the Village's current fiscal constraints."

Body-worn cameras are currently used by dozens of Illinois law enforcement agencies, including nearby suburbs like Evanston, Niles, Park Ridge, Des Plaines, Rosemont. Lincolnwood, Wilmette and Glenview do not yet use the cameras.

After a second consecutive village board meeting with comments from a dozen or more citizens in factor of body-worn cameras for Skokie police, Van Dusen suggested village officials would beat the deadline imposed by House Bill 3653 for municipalities to begin using bodycams.

Branded as the Safety, Accountability, Fairness and Equity – Today, or SAFE-T, Act after its passage in January's lame-duck session and signed into law last month by Gov. J.B. Pritzker, HB 3653 requires all law enforcement agencies in the state to implement the use of body-worn cameras for all of their officers with population-dependent deadlines.

For municipalities, like Skokie, with populations between 50,000 and 100,000, body cameras must be in use by Jan. 1, 2024. Smaller towns and state police have an additional year to comply, according to the bill. Some lawmakers and law enforcement officials have called for additional funding to support the implementation of the unfunded mandate in smaller communities.

"This is something that we have been discussing for a number of months now, and now that we have the state legislation and our state legislators have told us that they will be working with us to establish a funding source," Van Dusen said at the March 1 village board meeting. "So we will proceed with that."