Middletown supervisors slated for body cameras
Acting chief notes issues with redaction and storage of video has slowed rollout.
Body-worn cameras for Middletown Division of Police supervisors are ready for use when training is completed, and a $20,000 grant approved this month by council will pay for about another 26 cameras to equip patrol officers.
Last year in September, city officials said they hoped patrol officers would be wearing body cameras by the end of October. The reality of cost for storage and redaction training slowed down the process, officials said.
This week the 12 cameras slated for supervisors remain on charging docks in the police training room.
Acting Police Chief Eric Crank said supervisors will begin training soon, and the the idea is, after they are trained, “they will be able to train their shifts.”
With the additional purchase from the $20,150 Ohio Office of Criminal Justice grant, every patrol officer should be equipped, Crank said. The grant is specifically meant for departments starting a new program, and the program will need to be sustained by budgeting or other grants in the future.
The cameras can be shared, but there has to be enough to permit time for downloading between shifts, which could take a couple hours depending on the number of calls and traffic stops worked in an 8-hour shift. There have to be extras available.
Also, officers working off-duty assignments per current policy would be required to wear a camera, Crank said.
The acting chief said there’s more to body cameras than many realize.
“It is not just throw on the body camera, it is the redaction, the storage, and following policy about when officers will be using them and when they are not,” Crank said. “There are just a lot of factors to it.”
By the end of the month, the supervisors should be trained and the department will start rolling them out getting comfortable with, according to the acting chief.
Crank said the records department staff will be doing redactions from the cameras. No additional personnel has been hired. He said an area police department has two full-time redaction specialists and they are still
Cameras
The Ohio Department of Transportation plans to minimize construction areas as much as possible on April 8 to improve traffic conditions, she said.
One of the best things people can do is come early and stay late, she said. Local agencies have tallied up approximately 460 community events happening in the region on April 8.
Internet and cellular service outages may occur on eclipse day due to the large number of people expected to visit. Sgt. Tyler Ross of the Ohio State Highway Patrol recommended people have paper maps on hand.
“Don’t rely on electronics,” Ross said.
The next total solar eclipse visible in Ohio won’t take place until 2099, but that’s not an excuse for distracted driving or stopping on the side of the highway, the patrol says.
“If you miss it, you miss it,” Ross said. “I know it’s a rare event, but it’s not worth your life.”
In the last five years, Ohio has had more than 1,600 crashes related to distracted driving that caused a fatality or serious injury, Ross said.
Stopping on the side of the highway or exit ramps is prohibited, he said, unless it is an emergency.
“It is not safe,” Ross said. Troopers will be highly visible on April 8, he said, enforcing all traffic laws and ready to assist. People can call #677 to report any dangerous driving or stranded motorists.
If drivers see stranded motorists or crews or law enforcement working on the sides of the highway, they should slow down and move over to give the workers space, these state agencies said.
With the larger crowds come a number of unknowns, Dillon said.
The weather may impact where those crowds of people end up viewing the eclipse.
“If it does call for clouds, we expect travelers to push south, so then it will affect Butler County, Hamilton County, get down into Warren County,” Ross said.
Because of the unknown weather, Ross said everyone, including those away from main roadways and highways, should be prepared for traffic congestion on April 8.
“We’re doing the best we can to plan for it,” Ross said.