Stephanie Rawlings-Blake '100 percent' supports cameras on cops, as long as it's legal

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Jaclyn Borowski

Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said Wednesday she "100 percent" supports police body cameras.

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Rick Seltzer

Staff reporter- Baltimore Business Journal

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Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake made it clear Wednesday that she thinks police officers will one day wear body cameras in the city. But she promised to veto any camera-requiring legislation that ignores her legal and privacy concerns.

"I am 100 percent in support of police body cameras," Rawlings-Blake said. "And residents should know, no matter what happens during the city council process, the city is going to have body cameras."

Rawlings-Blake addressed the issue a day after a contentious meeting dealing with City Council legislation that would require police officers to wear devices recording their public interactions. City offices are divided on whether the legislation would be legal.

Body cameras are an issue in Baltimore as the city pays large sums of money in police misconduct cases. Officials are also looking for a way to build trust between residents and police officers.

The question seems to be finding the best way to get cameras on cops — and finding a way to pay for them. Rawlings-Blake has previously said that anticipated savings from police misconduct settlements don't translate into the immediate cash needed to buy cameras.

The mayor on Wednesday said she isn't aware of any other jurisdictions that have used legislation to require police officers to wear body cameras. She also said she has a work group that is in the final stages of finding money to pay for a body camera program and also addressing privacy concerns.

"I will veto a law that doesn't do what needs to be done to provide body cameras in the right way," she said. "I have absolutely no interest in entertaining incomplete legislation, legislation that is not thoughtful and does not address the full issue."