All Crown Point police officers will soon be wearing body cams and the city is replacing its supply of stun guns.
Police Chief Ryan Patrick expects 52 body cameras to arrive by September along with 44 stun guns. Crown Point police officers have never had body cams before, except for the five officers who recently did a trial run through Scottsdale, Arizona-based Axon.
“We had good feedback during the trial period about what we wanted and needed,” he said. “There were no naysayers. They know these tools are there to protect them and others.”
Bundling the order for body cams and stun guns with Axon is saving the city money, Patrick said, with unlimited digital storage included to accommodate the large amount of footage to be collected and stored.
He believes the cams will not only help protect officers but individuals who will be on camera during an interaction with police.
“The body cams just tell the story,” Patrick said. “They capture what was said and seen at that moment. It brings transparency to protect officer and the public.”
The city is acquiring the devices under a five-year lease agreement for $664,000, funded through a bond issue, according to Patrick. Axon will provide police officers with the required training on the body cameras and stun guns, and new units will arrive every two years.
Patrick said the cameras will be manually activated by officers, but they are connected to the stun guns and are automatically activated when the stun guns are deployed.
Patrick noted that the body cams will necessitate an update in department regulations pertaining to their use, and their application in the line of duty will likely inform future training. The new digital evidence policies will be written by Lexipol, a legal/public safety-focused company that is advising the city on state and federal compliance rules.
Mayor Pete Land, the city’s former police chief, commended the effort to modernize the police department.
“This is not only an investment in our police department and its operations, but one that will help protect our officers as they perform their duties for our city,” he said. “The police chief and his staff did a great job researching and putting this entire package together. Thank you to our City Council for approving and supporting the program.”
Jim Masters is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
