Compliance audit complete on St. Paul police body cameras

Published 8:16 am Thursday, June 21, 2018

ST. PAUL — St. Paul police have released the department’s first audit of the use of body cameras.

Chief Todd Axtell says the 87,000 videos recorded in the first quarter of the year show there’s room for improvement in terms of officer compliance, but that the overall results are encouraging. The St. Paul department began rolling out use of the cameras late last year.

Axtell says the common mistake among officers is forgetting to turn on the cameras.

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He expects repetition will improve that. The audit was focused only on policy and compliance, including any challenges with using the technology.

Public data activist Don Gemberling tells the Star Tribune the department should also have looked at what the cameras captured, including officer conduct. Axtell presents the audit to the City Council Wednesday.