Laura Curran plans 23 new hires to run police body cam program

Nassau County would spend $3.1 million to fill 23 new positions for the police department's body camera program under County Executive Laura Curran's 2022 budget plan due next month, officials said.

Nineteen of the hires will be civilians, including 14 analysts who will review video captured by cameras.

The analysts will have security clearance to examine and compile classified and unclassified data for criminal investigations. Starting pay is $72,000.

The police department also is hiring four "discovery expediters" to get evidence to prosecutors and defense attorneys to meet pretrial deadlines under New York State's 2019 bail reform law.

Four police sergeants will supervise the program.

"Our police officers and residents need a trained, professional support staff for the body worn camera program to ensure all of the data being collected is handled safely, securely and expeditiously," Curran said in a statement.

"I am committed to delivering a program that provides the quality assurance our residents expect and deserve," Curran said.

The Nassau and Suffolk County police departments were among just three large police departments across the nation that did not equip officers with the bodycam technology, Newsday reported earlier this year.

Both counties incorporated police bodycam programs into police reform plans submitted to the state in April.

Following the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody last year, then-Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo required municipalities with police departments to update their policies or risk losing state funding.

Nassau police will receive an annual stipend of $3,000 to wear the cameras as part of their uniform, under an agreement the Nassau County Legislature approved in June.

The body cameras, designed to capture video of police interactions with people, is expected to begin Sept. 27 with usage by officers in Nassau's 8th Precinct and part of the 5th.

The program will be implemented across the six other precincts by the end of the year, officials said.

The county has selected Island Tech Services of Ronkonkoma to provide the cameras, along with training and technical support.

The cameras’ video footage will be uploaded to a secure cloud-based system from about 400 patrol vehicles, according to county officials.

Frederick Brewington, a Hempstead civil rights attorney and police reform advocate, said the county failed to include community input in creating job descriptions and outlining the scope of duties for the new hires.

Brewington said rules about how and when the body cameras are worn must be established before implementing the program.

"Body cameras are not just about collecting information and data on bad guys, it's about police accountability as well," Brewington said.

"Police accountability seems to be the last thing on the county's mind when in fact it should be the central part of the public service so the community has voice in the process," said Brewington.

Along with community advocates and others, Brewington complained Curran did not listen to their concerns when her administration created the police reform package.

Curran and Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder argue the draft police reform plan was based on input from several community meetings.

They stressed the administration had been willing to update the plan even after its submission to the state.

Nassau spokesman Mike Fricchione did not directly comment on Brewington's criticism about the bodycam program.

But Fricchione said in a statement that Curran developed a police reform plan that received bipartisan support, "after hundreds of meetings and countless hours of input from community stakeholders."

Rick Frassetti, President of the Superior Officers Association, which represents more than 350 high-ranking Nassau County police officers, said he believed the four sergeants charged with overseeing the program, "will be able to handle whatever is thrown at them."

Frassetti said he was, "glad to see the program is heading in the right direction. The SOA fully supports the implementation of the body worn camera program."

Spending on the bodycam program is included in $8.4 million in new law enforcement spending Curran's 2022 budget, administration officials said.

The spending includes:

• A new data/evidence software system, $500,000.
• Twelve hours of annual diversity training, $1 million.
• Spending of $3.8 million to increase the number officers responsible for strengthening relationships with local communities.

Curran is due to submit her budget proposal on Sept. 15.

The 2021 county police department is $890 million.

By Candice Ferrette

candice.ferrette@newsday.comcandiceferrette

Candice Ferrette covers Nassau County government and politics on Long Island. She has been a reporter at Newsday since 2011.