It was Day 1 Wednesday for Starkville Police Department’s new body and vehicle camera deployment.
SPD has been using antiquated body cameras for years, but now the department is getting an upgrade.
Two instructors from Utility visited the police station Wednesday to provide training for SPD officers on how to operate the new equipment, BodyWorn, top-of-the-line body cameras that use artificial intelligence to create situational awareness and community transparency. Six instructors were also at the George M. Bryan Airport installing cameras into police vehicles.
These new devices will allow SPD officers to focus more on their job and less on ensuring their cameras are working properly, SPD Public Information Officer Brandon Lovelady said.
The 60 body cameras and 40 vehicle cameras all connect with one another. Director of North American Sales for Utility Mark Wood said the company’s motto is “Never ask an officer to do something that technology can do for them.”
“Asking them to do one more thing … in the car is a difficult task,” Wood said. “We have built our system around policy-based recording. Policy-based recording means that because we are using a computer system in the car, because the BodyWorn device itself is a computer, we have this connected solution with the officer in the vehicle that allows us to automate the starting of body cameras.”
The Starkville board of aldermen approved these cameras and vehicle systems in January for $621,600.
BodyWorn works by syncing to a police vehicle after driving more than 15 mph. These cameras are continuously “pre-event” recording, but not until a “trigger” occurs do they begin to actively record. After a video is finished recording, it automatically uploads into cloud storage within seconds, providing security of the video.
“Triggers” include such things as officers running, removing a weapon from their holster, falling down in the line of duty and turning lights on in a vehicle.
SPD sent off uniforms to Utility over the past month, and the company customized them to fit the cameras by cutting out holes in them for the exposed lens. Each body camera comes with a protective hard shell that snaps onto the inside of every uniform.
“One of the most critical issues with body cameras in the United States today is that they are by and large outside the uniform, therefore it falls off, or it gets knocked off…,” Wood said. “Because it is completely integrated inside the uniform, it’s impossible for that body camera to become dislodged and fall off.”
The devices also have mapping capabilities allowing SPD supervisors to see where officers and their vehicles are at all times. Wood said the cameras have plenty of battery life with 12 to 14 hours of continuous recording and 16 to 20 hours of standby time. If a camera dies, officers can charge their device within 45 minutes.
Many other cities across the state use BodyWorn, including Biloxi, Byram and Yazoo City. Wood said Starkville is a prime candidate for these cameras, and BodyWorn will allow officers peace of mind not having to worry about activating their cameras.
“Starkville is not unlike other agencies around the country,” Wood said. “One thing that I learned a long time ago, law enforcement is law enforcement. Police work is police work no matter where you go. It’s really centered around the idea of providing a bridge between the community and police department through transparency.”
Lovelady said this new technology will not only create accountability but also a more productive workplace. The cameras will take away one more task from the officers so they can fully focus on their other responsibilities.
“They’re now thinking about doing their job,” Lovelady said. “They’re not thinking about this product and not having to worry about things like ‘Did I turn my camera on?,’ ‘Is this working?,’ ‘Is that working?’”
SPD Officer James Smith said he is thankful for the city investing money and equipment into the police department for a tool like this. He said he believes BodyWorn will ease the mind of the citizens knowing that there is complete transparency with the recordings.
“It’s just one less thing on your mind,” Smith said.
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