UVM Police Services announced last week that officers will now be wearing body cameras. Police Services has been testing these body cameras for several years in an effort to increase transparency. Over the course of the the last few years, they have worked on a national scale to create a training program for officers and a strong departmental policy. Officers will use the cameras during any call for service, arrests, traffic stops, searches, and mental health calls. Officers will not use the cameras during breaks, committee meetings, officer training, or conversations with other officers or supervisors. The current technology available will not allow for an entire 10 hour shift to be recorded, but hopefully that will change in the near future.
On their department website, UVM Police Services stated: “UVM-PS believes that our use of the BWC will further advance our positive reputation by continuing to grow the public trust in and engagement with our outstanding police department.” For more information about this new initiative, please visit:
http://www.uvm.edu/police/?Page=about/news.php&SM=about/nav.html.