Source: Getty / Getty
It’s no secret that recent incidents in which people have died in police custody or officers have shot suspected criminals has heightened the tension between officers and their community. While other areas are regrouping and handling this situation in their own way, the Hope Mills Police Department has taken a proactive approach. States nationwide are considering the option of buying body-worn cameras for their law enforcement officers, as a way to remedy the disconnection between their citizens and those sworn to protect.
The Hope Mills Police Department has already placed them on 42 of its officers in February. The cameras were requested last year from department officials and the town commissioners paid the $12,000 needed to implement the body camera petition. Police Capt. David Servie gave his opinion on Monday about the body cameras which will serve as support to the footage that is already taken from dashboard cameras inside patrol vehicles:
“This is just a natural progression of documenting officer interactions with the public,” Servie said. “You lose the perspective of what the officer is seeing once the officer moves out of view of the in-car camera. So, what this does is it gives a camera perspective of the officer wherever the officer goes.”
The video will be available to the public just like any other police report so officers are required to push a button to start the camera every time they interact with the public during traffic stops or other police work. The idea is that using the cameras will increase the department’s transparency to the public and in return restore the trust that has been tainted.
For more information click here
Text “LIGHT” To 37890 for your chance at ticket giveaways and news before anyone else!…Standard Messaging Rates Apply
LIKE The Light On Facebook To Keep Up With your favorite artist and celebrity news!
