Credit: Falls Township police
Starting Monday, Falls Township Police Department officers began using body-worn cameras.
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Falls Township police joins a growing number of police departments locally and across the country that have implemented the use of body-worn cameras.
Police Chief Nelson Whitney recently said officers have been trained on the camera system and also have worked with the company behind the system.
Last year, the Falls Township Board of Supervisors approved a $166,620 five-year contract with WatchGuard Video for the system.
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The contract will ensure that the 50-plus members of the department are able to wear cameras. Each officer will be given his or her own camera.
According to the department, body-worn cameras are a valuable asset that will assist officers in solving crimes by augmenting an officer’s testimony with a video and audio record of the incident.
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The recordings from the body-worn cameras will provide precise images of physical evidence as well as documentation of how physical evidence was discovered. The cameras will also record suspects’ and crime victims’ physical appearance, preserving evidence of any obvious injuries, police said.
The department in a social media post also noted the cameras can also discourage officers and community members from engaging in inappropriate conduct knowing that the incident is being recorded.
“The audio portion will document witness and suspect statements, preserving not only the substantive content of those statements, but also showing whether officers had complied with Miranda and other legal requirements,” police said.
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According to statements last year by Whitney, once footage is uploaded to the camera system server, the content will be tied to that officer.
The body-worn cameras will allow department command officials to perform periodic evaluations of officer and citizen encounters for quality control, assist in the investigation of citizen complaints, and aid in the training of department personnel, officials said.
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The police department already uses in-car cameras for recording.
Last month, the Falls Township Board of Supervisors voted to approve a policy for the body-worn cameras. The policy was based on the one used by Bensalem Township and reviewed by the township solicitor, the police union, and the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office.
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Polling has shown the majority of Americans support police wearing cameras. The growth in the use of the cameras followed in the wake of several high-profile deaths of civilians at the hands of police about a decade ago.
A 2015 study found that one police department reported a 58 percent reduction in use of force incidents when body-worn cameras were implemented. The department also saw an 88 percent drop in citizen complaints, according to Police1.
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Publisher Tom Sofield contributed to this report.
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