New Police Body Cameras

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Created on Wednesday, 21 September 2016 20:10
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bodycamerasST. JOHNSBURY - A recent police-involved shooting in Winooski, Vermont has re-engaged the discussion of the use of police body cameras across the state. Body cameras have been a big topic across the country since the incidents in 2014 involving Michael Brown in Baltimore, MD and Eric Garner in New York City.  It is because of incidents like those that cameras have been implemented to record certain interactions between officers and citizens.

Some local police departments around the Northeast Kingdom have also added the use of body cameras for on-duty officers.  The Lyndonville police department started using body cameras this past Tuesday during their shifts. Officers can magnetically place the cameras on their uniforms, and when needed they press a button to record.

Following Lyndonville's lead, the St. Johnsbury police department is looking to start utilizing body cameras as well.  The department has been testing a specific model of body camera for about six months, and they are looking to potentially upgrade before handing them out to officers in the field. The hope is to expand their horizons by filming the department's interactions and making them available for the public to see.

St. Johnsbury Police Chief, Clement Houde, understands the potential pros and cons of body cams.  "It's got some great advantages to it, I don't believe my officers need more supervision but I do believe in transparency."

Chief Houde also said that in the future once they actually start using of body cameras, they would not "release body camera footage if it compromised an ongoing investigation."