Storage and privacy. The biggest issues identified by Seattle Police Department officers in the first 90 days of an ongoing East Precinct trial of body camera technology are, basically, the same as any other start-up.

SPD representatives updating the City Council’s public safety committee Wednesday provided the first public update on the trial’s findings as twelve East Precinct volunteer officers have been putting the cameras through the rigors of patrol on the streets of Capitol Hill, the Central District, and First Hill.

“It absolutely contributes to safety,” officer Chris Myers told the committee as he modeled two of the camera types being tested through the fall in the East Precinct. Myers said individual reactions to being recorded vary but that, overall, he has been glad to have the increased documentation of the incidents to which he responds.

CHS wrote about the start of the trial in December and the implications for improving policing, and privacy concerns. SPD is testing two systems: a cloud-based solution from TASER/Evidence.com and a system similar to the existing in-car video system. The assessment of the program is slated to be wrapped up by fall of 2015 in time for making decisions for City Hall’s 2016 budget.

Rules around the use of the cameras during the test include verbal notification if you’re being recorded (you’ll also see a blinking red light) and adherence to state law requiring officers to have “two-party consent” to record audio on private property.

Wednesday, SPD officials including chief operation officer Mike Wagers said the requirements of the Department of Justice consent decree “fit nicely” with the body camera program.

The officials also presented a survey showing the camera tested in the first quarter rated highest for its ease of use. Officers said they were more mixed about whether the cameras represented a “positive change” or helped “improve trust.” But Committee chair Bruce Harrell said he was disappointed that all of the participating officers weren’t completing the surveys. Committee members said SPD also should do more to gauge public opinion about the cameras.

During Wednesday’s briefing, the cost of video file storage and the cost and difficulty of redacting the videos for public release when requested were identified as the likely largest hurdles for Seattle to implement the cameras as part of SPD’s standard procedures. Earlier this month, SPD added a new civilian leader with the hiring of former Amazon vice president Greg Russell as the department’s new chief information officer.

In the meantime, the department has been posting recordings from the trial to a Youtube channel. The videos mostly represent an exercise in demonstrating automatic redaction — basically, fully fuzzing out the screen — as a suboptimal option. There are a few moments of clarity, however, like in this cleared video of a disturbance at IHOP that provide a small window into the future of policing.