In this new era of policing, body cameras have become a mainstay.
“The body worn cameras provide us an un-redacted version of what occurred,” says Major Adam Hirsch with the Jupiter Police Department.
However, the cameras aren't foolproof, and can be subject to human error.
That was the case in Minneapolis earlier this year, when an officer did not activate their body camera prior to the fatal shooting of an Australian woman.
Jupiter police are trying to eliminate that human error.
Their brand new body cams activate automatically when an officer activates their taser.
“Their camera will come on, along with every camera in a 30-foot radius, to make sure we capture every view of the incident.”
The technology isn't just limited to taser deployment.
The cameras will turn on when the officer activates lights and sirens.
And early next year, cameras will turn on when the officer removes their gun from his or her holster.
“It'll help out with lawsuits, it'll help out with training purposes, and being transparent with our community,” Hirsch says.
The cameras cost the city almost $900,000 for a 5 year contract.
The department will deploy more than 200 cameras, and each officer will be given two.
