Colorado Department of Corrections committed to body camera implementation after shelving previous system
Doris Dedic has been a Colorado Department of Corrections employee for years.
"December of 2020, I started off as a regular community parole officer," she said.
She wears a protective vest, carries a gun, a badge and soon -- a body camera.
"If and when there ever is a sticky situation, you can look back and see the whole story. The full story," she said.
The Motorola body-worn camera, or BWC, strapped onto her gear today is part of a now defunct pilot program that the Department of Corrections launched more than three years ago for their Division of Adult Parole.
A CBS Colorado investigation uncovered internal documents showing a plan to have the cameras fully implemented by 2023 was delayed because of software compatibility issues and policy approval. A parole officer talked about it anonymously in January.
"I received an email from CDOC stating that we were turning in all of our cameras," the officer reported.
The same documents also show all work on the program ended after Community Parole Officer Christine Guerin-Sandoval was killed. She was not wearing a camera, and that raised questions about if she identified as an officer while checking in on an offender. It opened the door for the suspect to claim self-defense.
"It would have definitely showed from multiple angles what occurred during that incident. I know that there has been some talk about they did not have the proper equipment," the anonymous officer said.
Weeks after the suspect's sentencing, the Department of Corrections says there's a renewed commitment go get a working system in place.
In a statement a DOC spokesperson said in part, "while the tragic loss of our community parole officer Guerin-Sandoval was not the sole reason for expanding the BWC program, it did, in conjunction with an overall review of (Division of Adult Parole) operations, reaffirm the importance of the utilization of law enforcement equipment for high-risk interactions. Her passing deepened our commitment to continually equipping and supporting our officers with the resources they need to enhance safety, increase transparency, build trust, and promote the well-being of both our staff and the communities we serve."
"With everything there is always going to be cons, I think one of the ones is the officers might constantly feel like they are being surveillanced," Dedic said.
On the other hand, she recognizes the importance of having one on.
"We just added an officer to the (National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial), so that just highlights that there is a risk. We are meeting people sometimes on bad terms, and it could go left," she said.
A request for information about the company and contract for the new cameras was denied by CDOC officials. They also say it is too early to know how much the system will cost but anticipate having everything in place by the end of 2025.
