Another hurdle was cleared Tuesday in the quest to equip Ely police officers with body cameras.
A city policy defining and regulating their use was unanimously approved by council members, and the next step is action by the city’s budget committee.
If all goes as planned, yet this year, Ely police may join numerous other law enforcement agencies across the state and nation in wearing body cameras.
A public hearing on the city policy ended almost as soon as it started prior to the council meeting, as nobody from the public turned out to weigh in on the issue.
Earlier budget estimates show that adding body cameras may cost about $38,000 over a five-year span, including software, licensing and equipment.
Police Chief Chad Houde said he will next bring cost estimates “to the next budget committee meeting” and then on for council action.
Houde said last month that he’s hopeful that public safety aid would fund some of the costs, and presuming city officials approve the expenditure Ely will catch up to law enforcement agencies in the region in using body cameras.
Their use will be regulated by the policy that was approved this week.
“In the event we get body cameras in the future, this is what we will follow,” said Houde.
The 11-page policy includes statements of purpose, policy and scope and definitions.
At the crux of the policy are various guidelines for use.
According to the policy, officers shall activate their cameras when they become involved in or reasonably anticipate being involved in a pursuit, traffic stop, search and seizure, use of force, adversarial contact or during other activities likely to yield John Lahtonen opposed.
The move will bring Ely’s police department back to full force and city officials voiced hope that it will also bring more stability.
Several officers have come and gone in recent years, leaving the department for other law enforcement positions.
Houde noted a tight labor market in law enforcement and the city has taken to unique measures, going so far as offering a canoe and related gear to new hires.
“It’s a pretty competitive market right now and most agencies are fighting for each applicant,” said Houde.
Council member Jerome Debeltz offered similar sentiments.
“Every time we seem to have (an officer), somebody else takes them,” said Debeltz. “We have a trained officer coming in who knows everything about being a police officer. I would rather give somebody an extra wage so we don’t have to spend money on overtime, and we have somebody who has worked with the department.”
After another candidate withdrew from consideration to take a job elsewhere, Houde said he heard from Bissonette.
“One of our part-time officers reached out and is interested in coming on full-time,” Houde told the council.
Houde added that Bissonette, who has worked six years in Babbitt, asked to come on “at a year five step along with year five vacation.”
That request was accepted not only by Houde but by the city’s police commission.
But with that comes additional pay, and cost to the city, then if the city hired a first-year officer.
Bissonette will be hired at a wage of $34.76 per hour, plus benefits including three weeks of paid vacation.
City officials wrestled with the additional cost, which Houde estimated at $6,188 per year, but the chief noted that the city was likely to save money on overtime.
Council member John Lahtonen, a former Ely police chief, questioned the potential precedent the move might make and argued the city should take that into consideration.
“It would have been nice to know,” said Lahtonen. “It would have been nice to have had this before so we could have a discussion. We should have a say in this.”
Council member Adam Bisbee noted Bissonette’s experience with Ely and said, “We’re getting a loyal employee - to me, that’s a good investment.”
Council member Al Forsman also weighed in.
“The first factor was that the police commission met and they want this employee,” said Forsman. “They recommended we pay at this rate. We (also) do have a letter from the local union representing our staff (in support of the hire and wage). Being fully staffed is going to affect the amount we have to spend. I do think there will be some advantages.”
Contacted after the meeting, Bissonette provided the following statement: “This has not been an easy decision to make; however, it feels like the right one. It has been the highest honor to serve Babbitt as its Chief of Police these past couple of years, and I will forever be thankful for the love and the trust shown to me by residents as we have endeavored to build an exceptional team of officers and to keep our community safe. I am greatly looking forward, however, to the prospect of refocusing my efforts in Ely and back on the parts of this job that continue to excite me - working the street, where the people are, for the city that gave me the start of my career.”
