Video: Columbus Police Department Explores Wearable Cameras for Officers

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COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) — Police are answering the call to wear video cameras while on patrol and answering calls.  It will be a new tool for Columbus police in October, and as WCBI’s Alyssa Martin explains there will be a benefit for the public and for officers.

New technology combined with a variety of high-profile disputes between police and the public have led to a growing call for police to wear video cameras. In the last year, about 200 departments have started using the technology. By next month, Columbus police will join the list.
” It’s just a great tool for law enforcement across the country. It allows the court system and judge to actually put them on the scene where they can actually see and hear what the officer’s dealing with. So it’s a win-win situation for everyone.”

The small Axon cameras will be worn on the officers’ chest. They’ll record color video and sound of everything the officer sees and does. The video will be downloaded and stored at the end of each shift for future reference. If a citizen complains about an officer’s actions, the video will be available at the touch of a button. The cameras also will provide better evidence of crime scenes.

“We have a system that we’re putting in place now to where we can store all the information so its able to be brought back.”

Columbus officers already have tape recorders. And they’ve tried in-car cameras in the past. But the new combination of audio and video is the next big step.

” A lot of departments have just an audio recording, which is currently in place here, well sometimes that doesn’t give you an image and so with a body camera, its going to give us both.”

The camera system is paid for by a 14 thousand dollar federal grant