The Warrenton Police Department is wrapping up a four-week trial run of two body cameras in anticipation of eventually equipping the entire department. Chief Larry Ellard said officers were testing …
This item is available in full to subscribers.
Attention subscribers
We have recently launched a new and improved website. To continue reading, you will need to either log into your subscriber account, or purchase a new subscription.
If you are a digital subscriber with an active subscription, or you are a print subscriber who had access to our previous wesbite, then you already have an account here. Just reset your password if you have not yet logged in to your account on this new site.
If you are a current print subscriber and did not have a user account on our previous website, you can set up a free website account by clicking here.
Otherwise, click here to view your options for subscribing.
Please log in to continue
Need an account?
Print and web subscribers
If you're a print and web subscriber, but do not yet have an online account, click here to create one.
Online-only subscribers
If you are a digital subscriber with an active, online-only subscription then you already have an account here. Just reset your password if you've not yet logged in to your account on this new site.
Non-subscribers
Click here to see your options for becoming a subscriber.
Police test body cameras
Posted
By Adam Rollins, Record Staff Writer
The Warrenton Police Department is wrapping up a four-week trial run of two body cameras in anticipation of eventually equipping the entire department.Chief Larry Ellard said officers were testing cameras from a potential provider, Turn-Key Mobile, ahead of purchasing permanent cameras by the end of this year.The goal is for every on-duty officer to be equipped with a camera, including school resource officers, he said.So far, Ellard said he has been pleased with the quality of the test run equipment.“It will take up to Blu-ray quality video,” he said. “We’ve got them turned down just for data storage and the audio on them is super crisp.”Ellard said the department wants mobile cameras that can operate through an entire 12-hour police shift without needing to be recharged.The body cameras are built into black boxes that are attached to the front of an officer’s uniform. They are somewhat bulky, mostly to accommodate the size of battery needed for a 12-hour operation time, Ellard said.The cameras need more electrical juice than other devices because they are always active, he said, but not necessarily always recording.Sgt. Justin Keiser explained that an officer wouldn’t have an entire 12 hours of video saved on the device, but the camera does have a short-term memory of what it was seeing before the officer presses a button to start recording.“It goes back 30 seconds recording video, and then after the 30 seconds, audio kicks in” and the rest of an encounter is recorded, Keiser said.To put it another way, once an officer presses the record button, the previous 30 seconds of whatever the camera was facing gets saved to the video.The camera is turned on anytime an officer responds to a call or makes contact with the public, and stays on for the duration of the call until it is turned off, Keiser said.Ellard added that one of the requirements for a camera is that it also has a system to begin recording automatically whenever the emergency lights on the officer’s vehicle are activated.Video from the body cameras can be used for investigations and writing accurate police reports, Ellard said.“It protects us against complaints, or it verifies citizens’ complaints so that I can take actions when it’s necessary,” he said, adding that video and audio recordings are often used as evidence in court cases.The chief said using the body cameras will combine two tools officers already have — a mobile audio recorder and a video-only camera mounted to the dashboard of police vehicles. Having both in one device will make officers’ jobs easier, Ellard said.Keiser and Ellard both stated that the presence of a camera also tends to make some interactions go more smoothly.“When people see that you’re recording them, they aren’t nearly as inclined to act inappropriately,” Ellard said. “It goes both ways — the officer knows he’s being recorded — and the suspect knows they’re being recorded.”Doing the small trial run with the cameras from Turn-Key Mobile didn’t cost anything or require any sort of purchasing commitment, Ellard said. He did not have an exact figure for what permanent cameras for the department will eventually cost.As body-worn cameras have become a more common part of standard police equipment across the country, the price has become very reasonable, he noted.“And there’s competition in the market. There’s lots of companies that make a good product,” he added. “In the future, I see everybody going to (body cameras). I mean, how could you not?”
Warrenton Police Sergeant Justin Keiser explains how to operate one of two body cameras officers tested in a four-week trial. The department plans to begin purchasing cameras later this year. Record photo/Adam Rollins.
