March 19, 2024

Body cameras aid small town force with big solution

Police officers have dash cameras and body mics to assist in emergency calls, but departments are beginning to invest in body cameras to provide a first-person perspective.

Body cameras give additional help to police for sorting out false claims and reviewing situations involving officers by recording audio and video. The Colfax Police Department equipped its officers with body cameras nearly a year ago.

“It pretty much just shows an interaction with a person face-to-face,” Colfax Police Chief Andy Summy said. “It has cut down on false claims, but there are some disadvantages as well. It doesn’t show peripherals of what’s going on. It pretty much stays focused on what’s straight ahead. The video and audio is not a cure to everything, but it’s just another tool for us.”

Colfax Police wear the cameras on duty, which initially began as an experiment. Summy said the results have been positive.

“The officers seem to like it and they like having something to back them up,” Summy said. “We do the best we can, we’re all human, and I think it just serves as a good back up.”

Not only does the camera support the officers, but it also limits aggressive behavior of individuals interacting with police.

“It is for the officer’s safety, but it is for the public safety as well,” Summy said. “When you’re on video, you know you’re on video. Sometimes it may make you think differently on how you handle the situation and the choices you choose.”

The Colfax Police Department does have a policy regarding the cameras and the full-time officers are issued to wear them. However, it is up to the officer to choose when to activate the device.

“This is something that is still in an experimental type stage,” Summy said. “When does it turn on and when does it turn off? That’s still being figured out. We get involved in very personal issues with families and some intimate things and juveniles, things like that. So there’s still a lot of questions and things need to be answered.”

Officers do not need to inform individuals of the camera, since it is already assumed that anything done with police is being recorded, Summy said.

According to Summy, individuals have the opportunity to see the video, which allows people to decide whether they want to contest any charges in court.

The Colfax Police Department has four full-time officers, all of which wear a body camera. The cameras cost $400 each.

“There’s a lot of hurdles to get over, such as the cost effectiveness,” Summy said. “We’re a small department and we don’t have a lot of money in the budget for these things. But for us to buy cameras for our full-time officers, which is four compared to 300, is a little easier to do.”

Other departments in neighboring communities have looked into investing in body cameras, but few have purchased them. The Newton Police Department – which has 23 sworn-in officers – has looked into the devices, but is not planning on buying at this time, Police Chief Jeff Hoebelheinrich said.

“There’s a lot more to it and we’re trying to weigh the positives with the negatives. I personally believe the cameras would be an extreme positive,” Hoebelheinrich said. “It’s definitely something that will happen in the future.”

The Jasper County Sheriff’s Office has 17 full-time officers. Like Colfax, and many other police departments, Jasper County’s law enforcement vehicles are installed with dash cameras. However, the officers are not equipped with body cameras.

“We do have cameras fixed in the vehicles, so if the vehicle is not pointed in the right direction it does lessen the availability to record off camera,” Jasper County Chief Deputy Duane Rozendaal said. “However, audio is still capable from the body mics our officers are wearing. There would be times it would be beneficial having cameras on the officer, but we have not looked into getting them.”

Officers from the Prairie City Police Department also do not wear body cameras, despite being a similar size to Colfax.

“We’re hoping to be equipped with them one day,” Mortenson said. “It gives a perspective of an officer’s view that sometimes the in-car cameras can’t always display, so it would help out in many purposes.”

Prairie City has three full-time officers. Mortenson said there has been some talk about investing in the body cameras, but the department has not moved forward with any decisions.

Contact Alex Olp at aolp@jaspercountytribune.com