MADISON, Wis. — In April, Madison Police Department’s (MPD) north district embarked on a 90-day trial of body-worn cameras.
That trial has since ended, but the use of cameras in MPD could be here to stay.
In a report sent to Madison Common Council, MPD chief Shon Barnes pushed for the approval of those cameras in the 2026 budget. If approved, the body worn cameras would be rolled out 2027.
The report states that “the costs to acquire the technology and related accessories and software would range from $3,200,000 - $6,700,000.”
Bill Tishler, District 11 alder, said that is a big price tag. Tishler said there may be programs and grants that could help provide the funding for the body-worn cameras.
“We just got through the city budget last week and I am not aware of that money sitting around,” Tishler said.
In the report, Barnes stated that “the City of Madison currently qualifies for non-competitive federal grant funding of approximately $900,000, as well as other funding opportunities including private donations, private foundations, and state grants, and the opportunity to restructure or leverage contracts with vendors.”
Jamar Gary is the captain of MPD’s north police district. His district was picked for the trial period because it is the smallest district in Madison, which meant fewer officers had to wear body-worn cameras.
“In general, the vast overwhelming feedback was that they appreciated having the cameras available. There were obviously some concerns about them failing technically,” Gary said.
Gary said the most common failure was the cameras falling off during confrontations. Besides mounting issues, Gary said everyone on his team was in favor of the body-worn cameras.
“Overwhelmingly, the consistent feedback was that the software that was used with them was reliable,” Gary said. “The cameras themselves were reliable, were easy to use. So there was a lot of positive feedback from the officers.”
Tishler said Madison is one of the largest communities in the Midwest without body-worn cameras and believes it is time that changes, but he wants to make sure this change is done in the right way.
Tishler said while funding is a big concern, something he is even more concerned about is the privacy of residents throughout the city.
“I would want to make sure that all of the recordings and data that is being captured stays within the City of Madison and not go out to a third party,” Tishler said.
Ultimately, the Common Council will have the final say.
“Having access to cameras is one thing, but it is who has access to the footage afterwards, who is there watching after an incident,” Tishler said.