With the acquisition of 18 body worn cameras the Brockport Police Department will be able to outfit each of its 15 full time employees with a personal camera. According to department policy, the cameras are required to be activated when in a situation where a physical or verbal confrontation is likely to occur or in fact is occurring. Nothing precludes an officer from activating the camera at any time they choose, according to a press release from the Brockport Police Department.
Guidelines for use noted in the press release read as follows: The cameras will be worn whenever a police officer is on duty. These cameras will not only create better transparency between the police department and the public, but they will also enhance the trust which Chief Daniel Varrenti believes already exists in Brockport regarding its police department. The cameras will allow officers to capture video from their perspective from the moment they get on scene until the scene is secured. Additionally these cameras can also be used to film crime scenes, capture evidence that may be destroyed by inclement weather or other uncontrollable factors, and memorialize events that never would have been captured in the past.
BPD officers tested cameras over a three-month period. The Gates Police Department, which has been using body worn cameras for several months, lent Brockport two cameras during the testing period. One of the two cameras was damaged during an incident. The camera that was damaged will be replaced from the 18 cameras purchased, leaving the Brockport Police Department with two spare cameras, according to the press release.
By using an external hard drive to store the data recorded, the Brockport Police Department will avert the fees that companies charge to store data, and will also have the ability to keep the data for years. Any evidence captured on the cameras will immediately be transferred to a compact disk. The police department will retain one copy as evidence, one copy will be forwarded to the District Attorney’s office and the third copy will be forwarded to the defendant’s attorney, should an arrest have been made, the press release states.
The total cost of all equipment, including the cameras, hard drives and ancillary hardware totaled $7,767 and was paid for through the Federal Asset Forfeiture Funds, according to the press release.
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