The Wright City Police Department is planning to equip its on-duty officers with body cameras that the city government approved for purchase in late December.
Six body cameras are being …
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The Wright City Police Department is planning to equip its on-duty officers with body cameras that the city government approved for purchase in late December.
Six body cameras are being purchased from the Watchguard security tech company, said Police Chief Matt Eskew. The police department had a chance to try the equipment before making the purchase, Eskew said. Watchguard is also the vendor for the police department digital records system.
The cameras will be issued to on-duty officers at the beginning of each shift and returned to the station when the officer ends their shift, Eskew explained.
“They are costly, but they work very well,” Eskew told the Wright City Board of Aldermen on Dec. 28. “A total of six cameras, with a proper docking station, and then Watchguard will help me get everything installed ... the total cost would be $7,278.”
Eskew said the new cameras will provide an additional perspective when reviewing incidents responded to by police. He said the body cameras will constantly record video, and begin recording audio when activated by the officer. Currently, the only video and audio recording during incidents is by equipment inside a police vehicle.
“We consistently run into an issue where an officer runs into a house, or something along those lines, and you have audio most of the time, but you lose the video (perspective),” Eskew commented.
Having the body cameras always recording video will avoid situations where officers forget to activate the devices right away, Eskew added. Video will be automatically backed up to the police department’s computer server when the cameras are docked at the police station.
Wright City aldermen asked during the December meeting what the police department’s rules are for when the cameras must be activated. Eskew replied that the department has general directives for audio/video equipment, but that body cameras aren’t specifically mentioned.
“In our policy it says ‘If you have audio and video aids, they will be used.’ So we recommend to the officers for a majority of your citizen contacts to go ahead and record,” Eskew explained.
Aldermen also asked whether the city’s school resource officer will have a body camera inside schools. Eskew said he would need to consult with the Wright City School District.
Eskew said the cameras have been ordered, but Watchguard hasn’t yet provided a shipping date. The order was placed at the end of December when the company was receiving a number of other orders, Eskew commented.
