CAPE MAY – Starting June 1, Cape May police officers will be wearing body-worn cameras on patrol.
According to a release, in addition to having Panasonic in-car video cameras in patrol vehicles, officers will be equipped with the Axon Body 3 wearable body camera. It functions as a camera and digital video recorder (DVR) combination to collect video and audio evidence.
The Cape May Police Department’s use of body-worn video camera technology will be valuable to accurately document events, actions, conditions and statements made during investigative stops, field interviews, arrests and critical incidents. The use of the body-worn cameras will follow the guidelines issued by the New Jersey attorney general and the Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office, along with the policies set by the Cape May Police Department.
Accordingly, the use of the Axon body-worn cameras will be another valuable tool available to assist officers while performing their duties. Although it does not capture everything the officer sees, it will be beneficial for the court and documents a clearer picture of what happened during an incident. The use of the cameras increases transparency within the community and provides an opportunity to capture the good work the police officers do daily.
Questions about the Cape May Police Department Body-worn Camera Program should be directed to Lt. Joseph Walker, at 609-884-9500.
For more information on the body-worn camera /Axon Enterprises, visit www.axon.com.
Officers of the Cape May Police Department are issued Axon Enterprise body-worn cameras to help document encounters with the public. The department uses two separate camera systems to record different incidents, body-worn and an in-car recorder.
Body Camera – This camera is normally affixed to the officer’s shirt or vest in the middle of the chest. This camera documents the officer’s view of the incident.
In-car Cameras – There are two separate cameras, one front and one rear, to document a broader part of the incident. The Panasonic front camera is affixed to the side of the rearview mirror in all vehicles and faces forward. The rear camera is affixed to the celling of the vehicle in the back seat.
