(LEX 18) — Every time a Richmond police officer engages in an act of duty, department policy requires them to double-tap a body-worn camera on their uniform.
When it activates, it records the interaction between a police officer and the civilians involved in an enforcement activity.
Richmond PD has been using the cameras for over a decade now, and Chief Rodney Richardson believes they've become a critical tool in protecting and serving their community.
"It tells the public that we are being transparent and that we are really trying to make the right decision every time," Richardson said.
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Not only does he believe the cameras have helped build trust, but also build cases and a better-trained police force.
While Richmond was an early adopter of the technology, not every department uses body-worn cameras, even today.
What about your police department?
LEX 18 contacted 22 police departments in our viewing area with jurisdictions larger than 5,000 people to ask whether or not their officers use body cameras. Here are the results:
YES — Uses body-worn cameras
- Lexington
- Georgetown
- Richmond
- Nicholasville
- Frankfort
- Winchester
- Danville
- Berea
- Somerset
- Lawrenceburg
- Versailles
- Harrodsburg
- Corbin
- Morehead
- Cynthiana
- Lebanon
- Wilmore
- Monticello
- Williamsburg
NO — Does not use body-worn cameras
- Paris
- London
- Mount Sterling
Calls for transparency in London
Controversy swirled over body-worn cameras in London in recent weeks following an incident in which London Police revealed an officer shot and killed Doug Harless on Dec. 23 while attempting to serve a search warrant.
The incident is under investigation by Kentucky State Police, but one piece of evidence they will not have is body camera footage.
At a city council meeting on Jan. 6, community members wanted answers about why officers in London who previously wore body cameras no longer did so.
A directive obtained by LEX 18 shows in March 2023, former police chief Chuck Johnson called for the suspension of the city's body camera program, citing broken equipment and high costs.
London Mayor Randle Weddle told us that while the city intended to replace the cameras, it was waiting on funding from grants to do so as part of a larger city infrastructure improvement plan.
After an outcry from the community, he revealed he is working to expedite the process, signing a contract on Tuesday for $153,000 over the next five years for Motorola body cameras and cloud storage.
"So that's the next step, getting the cameras in, they're thinking from what I'm being told is the earliest of next week and then getting them, the cameras on the officers and, and getting them up and rolling," Weddle said.
Managing the cost
According to Richardson, Richmond PD's body cameras cost roughly $80,000 per year for about 80 cameras.
That cost includes a secure platform to store the video.
"It's a huge investment," he said. "I don't think you can take the cost lightly at all."
In the 2023 directive from London's former police chief, the cost of maintaining a body camera program is referenced, with estimates of $400 to $1,000 per unit.
"Again, this cost will increase each year with the need for additional cameras and storage capacity," Johnson wrote in the directive.
To expedite the process of replacing those cameras, Mayor Weddle said on Tuesday that the funds for the first year of the $153,000 five-year contract will be coming from the police department's forfeiture funds. He expects next year's city budget to cover the costs in the next fiscal year.
"I see the importance of it and that we, we, we need them and I've listened to what you know the public is, is doing and we've acted and we're asking for it to be expedited," Weddle said.
LEX 18 requested a copy of the city's contract with Motorola. As of Wednesday night, we have not received it.
