Worcester Police Bodycam Stipend Delayed By City Council

WORCESTER, MA — The Worcester City Council held off on approving a new stipend for police officers who are wearing body cameras, but the issue will be back before councilors in early May.

At Tuesday's meeting, At-Large Councilor Kate Toomey held a proposed change to the city's salary ordinance that would grant police represented by the NEPBA Local 911 union an annual $1,300 stipend in perpetuity starting in July for wearing the cameras, plus a $650 payment before the end of June.

Toomey did not say during the meeting why she held the item, and did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Any city councilor can hold items under personal privilege until the next scheduled meeting, and many councilors frequently do. The council will meet next on May 2.

Before Tuesday's meeting, At-Large Councilor Thu Nguyen said the council vote was largely a formality because the stipend had been negotiated by City Manager Eric Batista and the union. Nguyen said it would be "a bit futile" for councilors to vote down the measure since the bodycam program is underway, and since the union long signaled officers would want a contract update in exchange for wearing the cameras.

"The negotiation is between the city manager and the police unions. As much as councilors can speak against the stipends, there’s not much we can do. We only get updates where we just share our opposition/support for the city manager’s consideration," Nguyen said.

Worcester police began wearing bodycams on Feb. 27 following years of discussions about acquiring the devices. The department conducted a pilot in 2019 where about 20 officers wore body cameras. Last year, the city purchased about 300 bodycams at a cost of close to $4 million. Worcester bought the cameras from Seattle-based Axon in a package bundled with the company's Taser weapons.

The prospect of a pay bump for police due to the bodycam program drew criticism at Tuesday's meeting. Some speakers during public comment drew a comparison to Worcester teachers, who have been without a collective bargaining agreement since August, and have been picketing over the issue.

"I believe the wearing and use of body cameras should be considered part of one's patriotic duty and devotion to public service," resident Andrew Marsh told councilors. "One that should come without cost to the communities being served."