Roaring Spring Police Add Body Cameras

Law enforcement agencies across the country have come under increasing public scrutiny. With headline-grabbing incidents of police shootings, 2020 saw a rise in protests, both peaceful and violent, against the police.

The wave of anti-police movements that swept across the country has put law enforcement on the defensive, and with almost every move being questioned, more departments are turning to body cameras to provide a video record of their encounters with the public and eliminate a "he said she said" scenario between police and subjects.

"In today's society, they are a needed tool," said Roaring Spring Police Chief Greg Wyandt.

The Roaring Spring Police Department began using body cameras in November after council agreed in March that they have become a necessary tool in law enforcement.

Wyandt said the cameras turn on automatically when the police car's emergency lights are activated. Police cruisers are already equipped with dashcams which record video, but the advantage of the body camera is its ability to record both video and audio, adding another layer of protection during traffic stops.

The anti-police movements that have swept the country have painted all police officers with the same brush with no distinction between the good officers and the headline-grabbing bad ones.

This, Wyandt said, is where body cameras are most useful. With police finding themselves more and more on the defensive, a video account of each interaction eliminates any second guessing on how an officer handled a call.

"It eliminates false claims and accusations." Wyandt said. "There is no disputing audio or video and it's not a one-sided story. What happened is captured."

Wyandt said body cameras are not just for police protection.

"It serves as protection for everybody," he said. "The police and the person they are interacting with. It protects everyone all around. It is a fail safe for everyone. That way there is no disputing anything that was said or done."

Wyandt said the video captured by the body cameras, which cost around $20,000, are stored on an "internet cloud" device and can be retrieved when needed.