As Minneapolis marches toward outfitting its cops with body cameras, the city is hosting a series of listening sessions so citizens can speak their piece. During the fist round, the bulk of the 20 people who piped up at the North Side forum supported the move aimed at increasing police accountability, Minneapolis Public Radio reports.

Not surprisingly, the cops have their concerns. But less expected, a group dedicated to curb-stomping police brutality also believes the cams aren’t all they’re cracked up to be. While the Minneapolis Police Department plans to roll out the cameras next year, Michelle Gross of Communities United Against Police Brutality isn’t sold on their effectiveness.

“We’re not outright opposed to them, but we certainly don’t think they’re the panacea that everybody thinks they are,” she says.

Despite studies showing body cameras elsewhere have reduced excessive force incidents and made for a precipitous drop in complaints, the Minneapolis activist isn’t convinced the city will have the right policies in place to make the cameras a beat-down deterrent. She fears that if the public can’t easily access the unaltered film, or if police aren’t always required to keep the cameras rolling, the program will be a bust.

“Unless you have those things in place the body cameras are no good. They’re just a waste of money,” Gross says.

The total bill for the cameras is pegged at $1.2 million, though the city is chasing a federal grant that would cover half.

According to an oft-cited study conducted in Rialto, California, body cameras resulted in a 60 percent dip in incidents where cops used force and an 88 percent reduction in citizen complaints. During a similar Mesa, Arizona, test run that led to comparable drops, officers without cameras had nearly three times more complaints than their filmed peers.

“Whether the reduced number of complaints was because of the officers behaving better or the citizens behaving better – well, it was probably a little bit of both,” said Rialto police chief William Farrar.

Ahead of cameras, Gross would prefer requiring police to carry professional liability insurance and wants to disband the Minneapolis Office of Police Conduct Review (OPCR), which replaced a similar board after it collapsed in 2012. At the time, members complained their recommendations bounced off closed ears, and critics of the new review body argue its civilian influence is even weaker.

Communities United Against Police Brutality recently collected complaint data from the first two and a half years of OPCR’s tenure. Out of 962 cases it examined, less than 1 percent resulted in officer discipline.

As for the body cams, Gross likens their hype to the initial push to give cops Tasers, which were billed as a way to reduce the use of lethal force. “It was held out as the next big great thing that’s going to solve everybody’s problems. To me, body cameras are the same thing. They’re holding it out as the next big great thing that’s going to solve all the problems, and I don’t see it.”

The next community hearing takes place at 10 a.m. Saturday at the Sabathani Center.

Published on citypages.com by Michael Rietmulder.

Deputy Brett Berry with the dog he abused

UPDATE @ 6/29/2015 10:11 PM: Minnesota police have launched a public relations advertising campaign after the negative press garnered by Deputy Berry for beating the dog left under his care while at a casino. Tom Scheck, writing for MPR News, gives the following report:

The Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association says a new public relations campaign that includes paid advertising will highlight the work officers do in their communities.

“Their whole desire is to make their communities a better place,” said MPPOA Executive Director Dennis Flaherty. “I’m not sure the public understands that, so we’re going to try to get that word out.”

Flaherty said they’re launching the effort after his members started raising concerns about the perception of police officers nationally. He said media scrutiny over police incidents in Ferguson, Mo., Baltimore, Md., and North Charleston, S.C., has prompted his members to raise concerns.

“It can be very demoralizing for anybody that every story that seems to be coming out is negative,” Flaherty said. “We could see where it was having a very negative effect and it was important for us as the state association to take the lead.”

The MPPOA said it hasn’t yet decided how much it will spend on the public relations campaign.

Video of the beating Deputy Berry gave the dog under his care, now identified as Boone, has been released since our original report. The video is available below, courtesy of Minnesota CBS Affiliate WCCO:

MINNEAPOLIS — A Ramsey County Sheriff’s deputy has been charged with animal cruelty after being caught abusing a police dog under his care.

Deputy Brett Berry, 48, was staying at the Black Bear Casino in Minneapolis on June 14 while attending a canine training and certification trial.

A surveillance video shows Berry taking the dog in his care to his hotel room, then carrying the dog to his car five minutes later while visibly agitated. Berry then pulled the dog up by its collar and threw it on the ground. The dog ran from Berry and got stuck in the casino’s door, where it remained until Berry caught up with the dog and started beating it.

Police say they responded to a report of animal cruelty early the next morning after Berry had been asked to leave following complaints from the casino’s staff.

Berry, an 18-year veteran of the Sheriff’s office, was arrested and is now facing criminal charges for animal cruelty and assaulting a public safety dog.

The Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office decided to place Berry on paid administrative leave, and issued the following in a statement to the press:

“Deputy Berry was sent home from the K-9 trials and placed on administrative leave. The K-9 was evaluated by a veterinarian and no injuries were found. The K-9 partner is currently in the care of others.”

MINNEAPOLIS — Minneapolis Police Chief Janeé Harteau said she has launched an investigation after allegations that police went too far, even potentially harming a young boy, while monitoring a rally outside city hall Wednesday evening.

Last Wednesday night’s rally was organized by the group Black Liberation Project, in what was supposed to be a peaceful protest. It is still unclear when exactly things changed, but when they did it was all over social media.

The group was protesting the shooting death of a 19-year-old Tony Robinson of Madison, Wisconsin. The biracial teenager was shot by a white police officer back in March. Authorities said Robinson was on drugs at the time and was acting erratically before he was shot.

Earlier last week, prosecutors announced that officer would not be charged in his death. About 100 people were at the rally.

One protester posted a video of a police officer spraying chemicals towards the crowd. But what is really creating outrage is a picture posted on Twitter of a young boy who appears to have been sprayed with chemicals.

A mother who said her son was taking part in the protest with her claims the 10-year-old was sprayed with a chemical by police. She said milk was used to try to ease the burning in his eyes.
Another video was posted to Twitter showing others doing the same. They allege police also sprayed them with chemicals.

Tweeted image of the young boy at the black liberation protest

At a press conference Thursday morning, Harteau said she has opened a full investigation and is gathering surveillance video in order to figure out what happened, as well as interviewing witnesses.

“We need to speak with the people who marched. We need to know what their experiences looked like. We also need to hear from motorists who were fearful, from people who had property damage as well. We need to see any and all video from all angles in the case. We must have a full set of facts.”

— Minneapolis Police Chief Janeé Harteau

Mayor Betsy Hodges also spoke at the press conference.

“We do have an incident before us that we are investigating, and that we do take very seriously,” she said.

Last Wednesday night, she tweeted that she is listening to the community’s concerns and that she is “asking the right questions.”

Nekima Levy-Pounds, president of the NAACP in Minneapolis, said accountability is the first thing her group seeks in response to the incident.

“Beyond that, we would like to see a review of the policies and practices that allow the indiscriminate use of pepper spray, to be used at a peaceful demonstration,” she said.

Harteau said she reached out to the mother of the 10-year-old boy, and she said they had a good conversation.

The office of Police Conduct Review, which is made up of citizens and officers, will investigate the incident.

The Minneapolis Police Federation is asking people to help with the investigation and not pass judgment until it is complete.

Federation President-Elect Bob Krull said he believes when all is said and done, the officers’ actions will be justified.

He said there was damage to property and to the American flag at the protest. He added that officers did what they had to do to protect people and property.

The Black Liberation Project released a statement on Facebook stating that MPD took violent action against a protest of predominantly black youth, a departure from previously peaceful support from MPD officers at other marches and rallies.

Another video uploaded to Vimeo following last Wednesday’s demonstrations shows a group of protesters in front of the police station on 4th Street South. Two people are shown burning the American flag while officers stood nearby. The group was shown chanting: “If we don’t get no justice, they don’t get no peace.”

Note: Video contains strong language.

They said last Thursday’s event is meant to support the 10-year-old boy along with victims of police abuse around the country.

This story reported originally by CBS Minnesota