SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) – Springfield police will begin using body cameras this week, the department announced Monday.
The department purchased 241 Watchguard V300 cameras with a start-up cost of $600,000. Officers will begin training with them this week and some will be issued to police by the end of the week, Maj. Tad Peters said.
Officers will be required to have the cameras on for all but casual encounters, KYTV reported. That includes arrests, prisoner transports, interviews in the field and use of force incidents.
Exceptions will be for interviews with sexual assault victims, during medical evaluations and when officers are in restrooms or locker rooms.
Officers can upload videos from the cameras during their shift and must do so at the end of each shift.
Peters said the public and officers are pleased to have the cameras in use.
“It benefits both sides of the interaction to have an unbiased account of what happened if there’s ever a question about it, a complaint about it or if an officer needs documentation of what occurred,” Peters said.
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