Plant City Police Department officers will have a second set of eyes soon.
The department will use funds from the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program to buy body-worn cameras for all 40 of its patrol officers.
The Plant City Commission approved June 9, the use of the $12,831 JAG grant to purchase the cameras and memory cards. The funds should be available by the end of the year.
For about $300, the selected model, BODYCAM by PRO-VISION, shoots in high definition, has night-vision capabilities and is waterproof. The department’s dashboard cameras are aging and cost $5,000 to replace. The newer technology will help the department save in the long run.
“The BODYCAM will record everywhere the officer goes, as opposed to the dash cameras that are stationary in the officer’s vehicle,” Capt. Jerry Stwan said. “This unit is self-contained and has no limitations as to where it can record.”
The video also can be used as evidence and will reduce false allegations on officers and make those complaints easier to investigate, Stwan said. A recent study of police wearing cameras in Rialto, Calif., showed an 88% decrease in citizen complaints against officers.
More than 400 agencies nationwide are currently using the BODYCAM brand of body camera. The BODYCAM is also being used by agencies in Australia, South Africa, Italy and South America.
Contact Amber Jurgensen at ajurgensen@plantcityobserver.com.
BY THE NUMBERS
18
The number of hours of video the camera can record per 32 GB SD card
170 The camera’s field of view, in degrees
8 The maximum megapixel resolution of the camera’s recordings
