In a recent editorial, The Baltimore Sun has come out in support of Baltimore County Executive Kevin Kamenetz’s decision to move forward with body cameras for police officers despite a recommendation from an advisory panel to delay implementation to allow more time to study remaining concerns. As stated in the editorial:

The fact that Mr. Kamenetz and Chief Johnson are moving ahead despite the objections of an advisory panel convened last December to study the issue is significant. Mr. Kamenetz is getting ahead of events rather than reacting to them. He is correct in his belief that the devices not only offer a smart, cost-effective way to improve policing in the county but that they also are essential to maintaining public support for the department over the long run.

In remarks to WYPR radio host and Sun columnist Dan Rodricks on Thursday’s “Midday” show, Mr. Kamenetz acknowledged that the cameras are no panacea for the problems police face in building relationships of trust with neighborhood residents. Police, he said, will always need to know the people, businesses and institutions in the communities they serve, and technology is no substitute for that. But the cameras can enhance the department’s efforts to build those ties, and given the consequences when police lost the public’s confidence, officers should have all the tools they need to maintain that trust.

For more information read the full editorial in The Baltimore Sun.

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