Cleveland police officer now have body cameras
More than 50 officers have been issued brand new body camera. Officers are now instructed to hit the record button every time they pull someone over or respond to a 911 call.
“When they get out of the car or when they’re on a call, they just press the button the button in the front. As soon as they press the button; the red light will come on and begin a video and audio recording of the contact with the person," said Cleveland Police Spokesperson Evie West.
What’s interesting about the type of body cameras Cleveland officers are using is the technology to categorize every recording with a push of a button. When an officer has finished his or her interaction with a citizen, that officer will be able push a button that files the video under a category such as: arrest, citation, crash, miscellaneous and others on a list.
Once the officer returns to the station and places the camera onto a docking device, the video is automatically uploaded to a database with limited human access.
“The people who have access to this video are administrators like the police chief, support services manager and eventually it will be supervisors," West said.
And while the camera is recording video, it can also record sound; which is very important should there be a dispute over what was said during a police confrontation.
“It can show you what the officer is asking the citizen to do; what the officer expects the citizen to do; what the officer is commanding the citizen to do," West said.
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