Scarborough voters will likely be asked this fall to approve bonds for body and cruiser cameras for the Police Department and to buy a new fire engine for the Fire Department.

The Scarborough Town Council last week gave preliminary approval to put bond authorizations of up to $996,707 for the Police Department’s request and up to $1 million for the Fire Department on the November ballot. The bonds were included in the recently passed municipal budget, but voters must approve town expenses of $400,000 or more.

A public hearing for each will be held Aug. 21 with the council expected to take a final vote Sept. 4.

Police cameras

A Scarborough police officer wears one of the body cameras the department has been testing. Scarborough’s is the only police department in Cumberland County that doesn’t use body or cruiser cameras. All other departments use either or both. Contributed / Scarborough Police

The Scarborough Police Department is the only department in Cumberland County without body or cruiser cameras. All other departments in the county use either or both.

Police Chief Mark Holmquist told the Leader on Tuesday that his department, like other departments, used VHS cruiser cameras in the past.

“I think the quality was not where it needed to be. It wasn’t a great system and the department just went away from utilizing it,” Holmquist said.

The major barrier to using cameras nowadays is the cost of equipment, from the cameras themselves to the software to store footage.

“You’re talking about body-worn and in-car cameras and to have the footage stored on a server,” Holmquist said. “That can be very costly, so that’s been one of the concerns of our department and other departments that have considered using these camera systems.”

If authorized by voters, the department would purchase 50 body cameras, 10 cruiser cameras and a server to store the footage.

There are multiple benefits of having body and cruiser cameras, Holmquist said, the primary one being safety. As they demonstrated for the council at the July 17 meeting, officers can livestream footage to dispatchers during an emergency call and they can communicate with the dispatcher hands-free.

There’s also a panic button on the cameras and any officer, dispatcher or supervisor logged into the system can tune in, according to Sgt. Andrew Flynn, who has been testing cameras for the department.

“If an officer needs help they can double-tap that button and a send a notice out to the officers or supervisors that says ‘there’s something going on, I need you to watch what’s happening right now,'” Flynn told the Leader Wednesday.

The cameras can also help the department locate an officer in distress with GPS tracking.

“If they should become incapacitated for whatever reason, we’ll be able to see what’s going on and try to get units there as quickly as possible and be able to locate them,” Holmquist said.

Another benefit of body and cruiser cameras is that they can be used as evidence in criminal cases, the chief said.

“The district attorney has been pretty outspoken at the meetings that I’ve attended where body-worn and in-car camera systems come up,” Holmquist said. “The footage that gets turned over for discovery, that’s key evidence in any type of prosecution.”

The cameras hold officers and those they are assisting or confronting accountable, police said.

“I see it as a way to empower our officers to go out and just do their job as they have always done them,” Holmquist said. “If there’s a complaint that comes in about the way that they may have handled a situation, we have the camera footage to be able to take a look at their interactions with somebody.”

Flynn said when he first started testing the cameras, it felt “weird to be recorded all the time,” but now he is comfortable with them.

“I’m confident that I’m capturing evidence that I need to present a strong case to the attorney’s office for prosecution,” he said. “If someone feels that I wasn’t acting appropriately, and I know I’m doing my job appropriately and effectively, it takes away that fear that someone could make a false claim.”

He said he recognizes the camera system they are requesting doesn’t come cheap, but emphasized “we’re not asking for the Cadillac of systems.” The chosen system has what Scarborough police need without unnecessary and expensive advanced features.

The Police Department will be conducting public outreach ahead of a referendum vote, including with a table at Summerfest next month.

New fire truck

The Fire Department is seeking to spend up to $1 million to replace a 20-year-old fire engine.

Deputy Fire Chief Ian Tenney told the Town Council last week that the request is part of a strategic apparatus replacement plan.

“We’ve got a tremendous tradition in the Scarborough Fire Department of thoughtful analysis and planning ahead,” Tenney said. “This plan is revised regularly in conjunction with our maintenance experts at Public Works.”

By analyzing how they use their trucks and at what cost, Tenney said, the department reduced the size of their fire engine fleet last year from seven to six, lowering maintenance costs.

The fire truck to be replaced was purchased in 2008 for less than $400,000, Tenney said. Since 2019, upkeep for the engine has cost roughly $90,000.

Analyzing recent trends, the department says the price of a fire truck has increased by $375,000 over the past two years, so delaying the purchase could be more costly in the long run. Financial implications aside, Tenney said it takes a minimum of two years between the time a fire engine is ordered and when it ready for deployment.

The technology a new fire truck brings with it is also invaluable, Tenney said.

“Fire apparatus technology, as with any other type, has grown by leaps and bounds,” he said. “In this case, it is a request to replace a vehicle that’s 20 years old at this point. So, we have a lot to gain in terms of what this vehicle is going to be able to do in upgrading to a new model.”

The Fire Department will also be conducting public outreach to educate voters on its request.