Mobile Police Department Citizen Complaints in Decline

Jul 18th, 2017

Following the Mobile Police Department's installment of body cameras in 2015, citizens' complaints and concerns have decreased from 86 total complaints in 2014 to 55 complaints in 2015 to only 50 total complaints in 2016. Citizen's complaints were at an all-time high in 2006 with 137 total complaints and concerns.

"The primary responsibility of government is public safety," said Mayor Stimpson. "Through new technology, we have worked hard to focus our law enforcement efforts on criminals, not communities. Through 21st Century Policing, we are growing sustainable partnerships in our neighborhoods throughout the City and will continue to focus on making Mobile the safest city with respect to everyone."

MPD also experienced a decrease in use of force incidents following the implementation of body cameras. Use of force incidents dropped from 230 in 2014 to 211 in 2015 to only 145 in 2016 — 32 percent below the average of the previous three years.

Body camera training is ongoing including implementation at the field level and annual in-service training to ensure the proper use of the technology.

In 2015, the Mobile City Council approved the $1.9 million contract with TASER International which included the purchase and maintenance of body cameras, tasers and data storage services. The five-year contract covers the cost of cloud storage for footage caught on the cameras, repair and maintenance for the system along with other logistics.