West Lebanon
The Canaan Selectboard last month approved the purchase of six body cameras, something Selectman Scott Borthwick said can prove beneficial for both the police and the people they serve and protect.
“We have had a few incidents over the last year and we felt the cameras would not only protect the public, but the officers themselves,” Borthwick said on Friday. “It’s the times we live in.”
One of the incidents Borthwick alluded to was the New Hampshire State Police shooting of Jesse Champney in Canaan on Dec. 23. Canaan police officer Samuel Provenza was on scene at the time of the incident.
State Trooper Christopher O’Toole’s fatal shooting of Champney following a chase in a field along Route 4 in Canaan was legally justified, the state Attorney General’s Office said in March, noting that O’Toole had reason to fear “the imminent threat of deadly force” by Champney.
Although cruiser video captured some of what occurred before the foot chase and shooting, and there are several audio recordings of communications between O’Toole and others, there was no direct audio or video evidence of O’Toole’s interaction with Champney in the field. O’Toole fired a total of seven shots at Champney, striking him four times, including a fatal shot through his back, records show.
New Hampshire State Police don’t have body cameras, but Canaan soon will, Canaan Town Administrator Mike Samson said.
The total cost to launch the body cameras is about $19,000, which will come from the town’s operating budget. The cameras haven’t arrived yet in Canaan, but Samson said he thinks the town will start using the technology next month.
Canaan Police Chief Sam Frank, who didn’t return repeated messages left for him this week, said in April of last year that he hadn’t considered purchasing body cameras because he doesn’t feel there are enough protections in place for the general public. More vetting must be done, he said at the time.
It’s unclear what changed Frank’s mind. He made the presentation to the Selectboard on Oct. 16 regarding the purchase of the cameras, according to the meeting minutes.
“In light of the support from the rest of the officers and support from the board and support from me, we went ahead and did it,” Samson said, adding that it wasn’t one incident that led to the decision but rather the “culture” in policing today.
“It is clear that there are ongoing stories about shootings and it would make sense from everybody’s point of view to make sure those are documented,” he said.
Having a second set of eyes during incidents also is why Claremont Police Chief Mark Chase has decided to purchase body cameras for his agency.
Claremont also had a prominent shooting incident in recent years. Claremont police officer Ian Kibbe fatally shot Cody LaFont inside LaFont’s home on Sept. 25, 2016, an incident currently under review following criminal indictments against Kibbe in an unrelated case. Kibbe has since left the force.
In interviews after LaFont’s death, Kibbe told police that LaFont came to the front door holding a revolver at chest-height and ignored Kibbe’s commands to drop the weapon while advancing toward him, prompting Kibbe to shoot.
The Attorney General’s Office ruled Kibbe’s shooting of LaFont legally justified in 2016 but has since reopened the case.
Chase said he wanted to make the purchase years ago, but costs for a larger department were a “major setback,” he said. He will purchase about 19 cameras with a launch cost of about $70,000, he said.
He was able to make the purchase because of low staffing numbers, which have resulted in a surplus in the operating budget, he said.
Chase said he’d hoped to launch the cameras this fall but that didn’t work out. He now is aiming for Jan. 1.
In addition to body cameras, Chase also is installing cruiser cameras, something Canaan police already use. Chase said he will be drafting a policy to govern the use of the body cameras, while Samson said there is no such policy in the works.
The Canaan and Claremont police departments will join the Upper Valley agencies of Lebanon, Newport, Hanover, Cornish, Enfield, Hartford and Haverhill in using body cameras.
“There is no doubt that it’s the best evidence,” Chase said. “Its not the catch-all be-all, but it is the best evidence that you could have for when you are trying to show what occurred.”
Jordan Cuddemi can be reached at jcuddemi@vnews.com or 603-727-3248.