Boston Police To Begin Using Body Cameras; Multiple Weekend Shootings Under Investigation
BOSTON (CBS) -- On Monday, Boston Police will begin to use body cameras in various neighborhoods throughout the city.
"Our police department does an amazing job. And it's constantly about building community trust and we have that. And complaints against officers are way down in Boston but this is just another tool to have in working towards full transparency," said Mayor Marty Walsh.
Commissioner William Gross says 193 officers will be wearing them.
"You will get to see what we face. Trust me. The voters have voted so it's good for the community and it's also good for the law enforcement community, so I am looking forward to it," he said.
A report from Boston's one-year pilot program with the cameras showed "small but meaningful benefits to police-citizen encounters." Officers wearing body cameras received about one fewer complaint per month and fewer use of force reports (slightly less than one per month).
"For me as a resident, it's a beautiful thing. It's going to stop on both sides: police brutality and stop a lot of people feeling unsafe by knowing they're being recorded," said Michael Funches, who has lived in Roxbury for decades.
Some Roxbury residents want to see not only more officers with body cameras but more of a police presence on bike and on foot.
Police did recover five guns off the street Saturday. They are also investigating three shootings in Roxbury and Dorchester.
One man has life-threatening injuries after he was shot on Emrose Terrace in broad daylight Saturday.
Another person was shot on Crawford Street hours later. Police recovered a firearm and ballistics evidence on nearby Howland Street. The victim's injuries are not life-threatening.
On Sunday morning, a man and a woman were injured by gunfire on Lucerne Street. They also suffered non-life threatening injuries.
"Every couple of months there's a shooting," explained Funches.
"A little violence here. A little violence there. This whole four-block area. For the last 20 years its been crazy around here."
