In response to the death of 40-year-old Aura Rosser, some Ann Arbor City Council members want a review of police policies including the possibility of having officers wear cameras. A local state lawmaker is working on a plan for all police in Michigan to have body cameras.
State Representative Jeff Irwin from Ann Arbor says west coast communities using police body cameras have seen a reduction in use of force and complaints against law enforcement. The Democrat is working with Republican Representative Tom McMillin on writing a bill to require Michigan police agencies to provide cameras.
Irwin says officers he's spoken with like the idea. "Having a record of exactly what happened in their interaction with a citizen they feel is going to almost every time help them rather than hurt them," Irwin says.
Irwin says cost and issues around storing the recordings remain the biggest questions around the proposal. A first step could be providing the cameras for all Michigan State Police troopers.
He doesn't expect the legislature to take up the issue until the spring.
Like 89.1 WEMU on Facebook and follow us on Twitter— Andrew Cluley is the Ann Arbor beat reporter, and anchor for 89.1 WEMU News. Contact him at734.487.3363 or email him acluley@emich.edu.
