By Police1 Staff
CINCINNATI — Cincinnati’s police union addressed local officials last week regarding the city’s announcement that police would begin to wear body cameras.
According to Cincinnati.com, Stephen Lazarus, lawyer for the local FOP, sent the city a “cease and desist” letter, saying until pay for wearing the equipment has been decided, officers shouldn’t wear them.
“Requiring employees to wear BWCs will change several aspects of their job and regularly assigned duties,” Lazarus said in the letter. “The adoption of new BWC policies will also have a significant impact on the employees’ wages, hours, or other terms and conditions of employment. Accordingly such changes are mandatory subjects that must be bargained to impasse with the union before they are implemented.”
“Having a body camera program fosters transparency, allows the city to better protect the public and protects officers from frivolous and fraudulent claims,” City Manager Harry Black wrote in a memo.
Black said in the memo that “the FOP had ample opportunity to bargain over its proposal at various bargaining sessions and during mediation. The FOP did not focus bargaining towards its BWC proposal. Considering that this is the FOP’s proposal – not management’s – the burden is on the FOP to raise this issue during bargaining.”