Body cameras will soon become part of the every-day gear worn by Wasco County Sheriff deputies following board approval of a 5-year, $73,000 contract approved June 1 by the Wasco County Board of Commissioners. The contract will provide cameras, cloud data storage and new cameras every 18 months.
“The camera protects the agency, and the deputies, and makes us transparent to the public,” Chief Deputy Scott Williams told the commissioners during their June 1 regular meeting. “They also provide evidence, which is useful.
“We had to work with union,” he added. “They support the program, and worked with us in building the policy for this.”
There are privacy issues, Williams noted, but the cameras the department chose record only when they are activated.
“Its on your chest, with the same view basically as the deputy sees,” he explained. They can also be programed to activate when a patrol car’s siren is activated or accelerates, or other factors. “There is discretion with this. For example you can pause the camera, when you are discussing something that isn’t evidence.”
The department has a policy regarding when the cameras will be turned on, “refined to our purpose,” Williams said.
Training on the cameras will be very short, he added. “They are simple to use.” Deputies have found the footage makes report writing much easier, Williams added.
“You have everything recorded, so it is easier to articulate,” he said.
Commented
Sorry, there are no recent results for popular commented articles.