Despite increase in body cameras, sheriff remains opposed
The Beaufort County Sheriff's Office remains the lone local holdout against the use of body cameras, even as several state lawmakers hope to make the devices mandatory.
Sheriff P.J. Tanner said he has no plans to add additional recording tools to an arsenal that already includes in-car cameras, audio recorders worn on deputies' uniforms, and video-recorded interrogation rooms.
All other local law enforcement agencies in Beaufort and Jasper counties either have body cameras or are planning to buy them.
Cost is not an issue, Tanner said, but he added the state should expect to chip in if it passes a law.
"Let's have senators and House members wear them, too, if they're looking for transparency," he said.
Two state senators prefiled a bill Wednesday that would require law enforcement officers to wear cameras that can record all contact with people in the course of their work. Their announcement Tuesday came one day after the Obama administration released plans to invest $75 million over three years to help state and local agencies purchase the equipment.
"History has demonstrated that eyewitnesses are not always the most reliable form of evidence," one of the bill's sponsors, Sen. Gerald Malloy, D-Darlington, said in a news release. "It is time for South Carolina to invest in common-sense technology."
Tanner said he was not surprised lawmakers were calling for change on the heels of several high-profile, video-taped incidents involving law enforcement. One such incident, the choke hold death of an unarmed New York man, sparked continuing protests and a federal inquiry Thursday after a grand jury decided not to indict the officer involved.
"We have very good policies in place to deal with officers who conduct themselves in the wrong way," Tanner said. "We're in good shape."
ANOTHER VANTAGE POINT
Darryl Murphy agrees that video recording devices aren't foolproof, but the president of the Burton-Dale-Beaufort NAACP said buying cameras would foster more trust in law enforcement.
He cites personal experience.
Murphy alleges that about seven years ago, he was harassed by a female sheriff's deputy and then was not allowed to listen to an audio recording of the incident.
At the time, the Sheriff's Office was phasing-in mounted cameras in patrol cars and audio transmitters worn on deputies' belts.
Murphy says he was at a Bluffton coffee shop when an employee called 911 claiming he was acting suspiciously, and the deputy told him to leave. When his departure was stalled by car trouble, the officer badgered and provoked him, Murphy alleges.
"Every time they stop someone, that camera is supposed to run," Murphy said. "How is it that when it's in my favor, the (audio device) was not recording?"
Though Murphy recalls the deputy saying their conversation was being recorded, he was later told by Tanner that wasn't the case.
Tanner said he recalled the incident, and Lt. Col. Bill Neill said it was likely handled informally, as Murphy did not file a formal complaint.
Murphy says he now has good working relationships with the Sheriff's Office and local police, but wants to see more consistency and outside monitoring of their recording practices, perhaps by the S.C. Law Enforcement Division or a federal agency.
IN USE ELSEWHERE
The Beaufort County Sheriff Office is not alone in its view of body cameras.
The S.C. Highway Patrol also relies on similar technology as the Sheriff's Office rather than officer-worn cameras.
While some South Carolina sheriffs have purchased a handful of the devices, no office in the state has outfitted every one of its deputies, according to the South Carolina Sheriff's Association.
Kershaw County will be the first, thanks to funding from its county council, according to Nikki Davis, the association's operations and training coordinator.
"They're extremely, extremely expensive," Davis said.
The S.C. Police Chief's Association said Friday it did not know how many police departments use the devices.
Locally, body cameras are used by the Bluffton Police Department, which purchased enough for every patrol and neighborhood services officer in September. Hardeeville and Ridgeland police departments and the Jasper County Sheriff's Office also use them.
Beaufort and Port Royal police departments are testing the cameras.
"With officers going inside residences and stores and so forth, for their safety and the safety of citizens, we felt it was important," Maj. Donald Hipp of the Jasper County Sheriff's Office said.
Hardeeville Police Chief Sam Woodward and Maj. Joseph Manning of the Bluffton Police Department agreed, arguing that the cameras have been a good investment. In Bluffton, a video recording has already settled one disagreement stemming from a traffic stop, Manning said.
Despite being pleased with the devices, Hipp said he doesn't support a statewide mandate on the technology.
"It should be left up to the individual agency whether they need them or not," Hipp said.
Follow reporter Rebecca Lurye at twitter.com/IPBG_Rebecca.
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This story was originally published December 7, 2014 at 6:31 PM with the headline "Despite increase in body cameras, sheriff remains opposed."