A Massachusetts state labor management arbitration panel has blocked the city of Springfield from putting video cameras in police cruisers.
The arbitration panel sided with the Springfield patrolman’s union and ordered the creation of a study committee to evaluate recording equipment in police cars. Talbert Swan, president of the Springfield chapter of the NAACP was critical of the ruling. He said video cameras in cruisers promote officer safety and public accountability.
" I think Springfield is a little behind the times in terms of the advancement of this technology."
The arbitration panel awarded the police union a 2 percent annual pay raise in a new three year contract and directed the city to pay full salary bonuses to police officers who earn additional college degrees. The state in recent years stopped paying a 50 percent share of the benefit.
