Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
Caln police begin using body-worn cameras
Caln Township has joined the growing number of police departments in Chester County utilizing body-worn cameras for all officers.
On Monday, all uniformed members of the police department were equipped with the body-worn cameras while on patrol. Officers had received extensive training in the use of the cameras.
Recently, many local police departments have been utilizing body-worn cameras to provide transparency. State police at Avondale and Embreeville began using them three years ago, as did the city of Coatesville police department.
The body cameras record high definition video and CD quality audio, and the lens can tilt up or down 28 degrees. The lens records at a 130-degree wide angle field of view, which produces a fish-eyelike effect in the video but captures a wide range of the scene.
The camera can be turned on and off with the simple push of a button, and the video clips can be categorized for different incidents, such as a traffic stop, a pedestrian stop or an assault. The video evidence can be used by officers before filling out a police report, and can be used as evidence in a court of law.
Police Chief Joseph Elias was unavailable for comment, but in a statement said “the body-worn cameras are a highly effective tool in enhancing public confidence
through increased accountability, improving officer and community safety, and strengthening police-community relations.”
The body-worn cameras used by Caln police officers are compatible with, and will be used in conjunction with the in-car camera system that the department implemented six years ago.
Caln’s policy regarding body-worn cameras are that officers activate the BWC when such use is appropriate to the proper performance of his or her official duties, and where the recordings are consistent with body-worn policy and the law, to document all contacts with citizens involving enforcement activities, investigative stops, vehicle stops, or any contact with a citizen involving an official police response or interaction in the performance of official duties.
Whenever possible, officers will inform individuals that they are being recorded. In locations where individuals have a reasonable expectation of privacy such as a restroom or locker room, body-worn cameras used by Caln police officers will not be activated, or if previously activated, will be turned off upon entry unless exigent circumstances prevent such immediate deactivation.
A 2017 Pennsylvania state law exempts police audio and video recordings from the state’s Right-to-Know Law, leaving the release of those records largely to the discretion of police. The procedure for individuals to request the release of footage from law enforcement body-worn cameras was established by Act 22 of 2017 and is posted on the Pennsylvania State Police website. The only way to appeal denial of the police footage is to file a lawsuit.
Some studies have found body cameras significantly reduce the number of complaints against police and incidents of police use of force. For example, a 2014 U.S. Department of Justice report cited two studies. One found the Rialto, California, police department had a 60 percent reduction in officers using force and an 88 percent reduction in complaints against police. The other found 75 percent fewer use of force complaints against police in Mesa, Arizona.