Metro Councilwoman C. Denise Marcelle vows to continue her fight to see Baton Rouge police officers outfitted with body cameras, despite the council’s 4-5 vote on Wednesday evening to reject an ordinance calling for the implementation of the technology by December 2016.
“I’m a fighter, so I’m going to keep fighting,” she says. “Last night wasn’t a total loss for me, but I do think it was a loss for Baton Rouge overall.”
Marcelle notes her own district is still in line to see 100 body cameras implemented by the police force within the next month or so as part of a previously-approved pilot program. She now intends to establish a committee to oversee the pilot program and further evaluate the associated costs.
Marcelle says that although she doesn’t need council approval to form the committee, she adds she will likely bring a resolution to her colleagues to get their support anyway. She’s picking the committee members, whom she says will include herself, a fellow council member and a citizen representative, as well as representatives from the offices of the mayor and district attorney, as well as the city-parish technology and finance departments. Representatives from LSU and Southern University will also likely be included, Marcelle says.
“I think I might even move towards forming a citizen’s review board,” says Marcelle, who has been pushing for the body cameras since last fall.
Ultimately, the council rejected the ordinance on Wednesday due to concerns over expenses. The police department has previously said it could cost anywhere from $1 million to $3 million to outfit its roughly 660 officers with the cameras. Marcelle says she believes the department can afford to the technology, adding she was disappointed with Wednesday’s vote.
“It’s just another incident that shows Baton Rouge is backwards and behind the times,” she says.
Also Wednesday, the council approved placing on the Oct. 24 ballot a proposed property tax increase for the East Baton Rouge Parish Library System. If approved by voters, the millage rate dedicated for the library system would increase from 10.78 to 11.1 mills. For the owner of a $150,000 home, their bill would rise from $80.85 a year to $83.25 under the increase, while those with a home valued at $250,000 would see an increase from $188.65 a year to $194.25.
East Baton Rouge Parish also has a new registrar of voters following Wednesday’s meeting. The council voted to appoint Stephen Raborn to the position. A 13-year veteran of the registrar of voters office here, Raborn also previously served as the registrar in Fort Worth, Texas. Raborn was among 24 applicants to replace outgoing registrar Elaine Lamb, who is retiring at the end of the month.
—Steve Sanoski
