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Gonzales Police receive first batch of body cameras

6 years 11 months 3 weeks ago Thursday, April 06 2017 Apr 6, 2017 April 06, 2017 7:03 PM April 06, 2017 in News
Source: WBRZ
By: WBRZ staff

GONZALES – The Gonzales Police Department received a shipment of body cameras for officers to use.

Chief Sherman Jackson said that the cameras could change how the department does business.

"Maybe this could make the difference and tell the story," Jackson said. "This will help us we'll use this as a tool."

Jackson said that the cameras will help to hold everyone accountable.

"Not be put in a situation where I just have two people and I just have two words and I don't know who's telling the truth," Jackson said.

Police officers will be required to turn the body camera on whenever they are responding to a call. There is also a small screen on the back for a quick review and the video cannot be deleted from the device.

"Of course you have to have a server with enough memory to hold this data for a certain amount of time,"Jackson said.

The department is aiming for at least three years of storage space, enough to hold on to footage that could be used as evidence for a case.

"I think it's a win win for both sides," Jackson said.

The shipment came in from LA Tech, a Baton Rouge- based company the department worked with before.

"So they make good products and make good cameras," Jackson said.

So far, the department has received 15 of the cameras and Jackson said he plans on ordering about forty, each at $375. It is not clear if an officer will face disciplinary action if he or she fails to turn the camera on, however Chief Jackson said he plans to get a lot of use out of them.

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