The Winamac Police Department is getting new body cameras. The town council agreed to move ahead with the new camera and online evidence system Monday. Town Marshal Tyler Campbell said officers had great success when they used them on a trial basis.
“Literally, they just have to put it on at the beginning of the day, and at the end of their shift, they pop it in a dock which is upstairs next to their desks,” Campbell explained. “It automatically uploads everything. It charges the body cam, and it’s ready for the next shift.”
He said that ease of use has led to a significant increase in the amount of body cam footage that gets uploaded to the computer system, with almost eight times as many files during the trial period than the month before. It also means that officers can share evidence with other agencies online, rather than burning files to a disc and mailing them.
“What used to take four or five days took me five minutes from sitting at my desk,” Campbell added.
The initial $8,000 cost will be covered with funds the police department got from the Henry and Alice Mooi revocable trust. The $3,700 annual cost for the following four years will be worked into the department’s budget.
