A proposal that some say would keep employees safe is gaining steam in one city and sparking interest in others. It involves body-worn cameras. They’re synonymous with law enforcement to improve safety and transparency. Now, code enforcement officers want to use them for the same purpose.
“It’ll help keep everybody both safe and accountable and professional throughout the entire experience,” Syracuse Code Enforcement Deputy Commissioner Jake Dishaw said.
On Wednesday, he met with the Syracuse Common Council, explaining why code enforcement officials should wear cameras when they inspect homes.
“Safety is definitely my number one concern, and how do we keep code enforcement officials safe out in the field?” Dishaw said.
Dishaw claims a resident threatened to shoot him when he was a code enforcement officer several years ago. He said they get complaints weekly about something going wrong at an inspection, verbally and physically.
“From a security standpoint, I think if you just think about cameras in general, cameras are a major tool for all security needs, whether it’s private property, whether it’s police using it,” he said. “We feel like a camera is something that can enhance that.”
The Town of Malta in the Capital Region is also considering body worn cameras for code enforcement officers this year. Officials there said they’ll be looking to see how things play out in Syracuse.
Similar plans were also explored in Texas and Florida municipalities.
Syracuse common councilors, however, weren’t as convinced.
“It just seems like there are ways we can get to additional safety for your team that might not involve a higher level of surveillance,” said Syracuse District 3 Common Councilor Corey J. Williams.
“I just don’t see how people are going to say that they’re going to allow that. I mean, safety is number one and we gotta make sure staff is safe, but we also have to be careful about going inside of people’s homes and privacy,” said Syracuse Common Councilor At-Large Rasheada Caldwell.
There’s more items to iron out before code enforcement officers put on body cameras. Councilors argued that body cameras aren’t needed to improve safety for code enforcement officers. Dishaw and code enforcement officials disagree.
“There are enough cases where this will make sure we have accountability for our staff, protection for our staff and protection for the tenants that move in their homes that make our job possible,” said Michael Collins, the commissioner of Neighborhood and Business Development for the city of Syracuse.
“This is a tool to help just enhance code enforcements services to our constituents that we’re already out serving every day,” Dishaw said.
