Police officers in Howell, MIddletown and Wall Township are wearing body cameras in a pilot program being overseen by the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office. In an effort to provide additional safety to law enforcement officers and citizens, three Monmouth County police departments are taking part in a program that allows their officers to equip themselves with a body-worn camera (BWC).
The Howell, Middletown and Wall Township police departments have been selected as participants in a pilot program to evaluate the operability and feasibility of police officer BWCs for a possible future countywide deployment, according to Monmouth County Acting Prosecutor Christopher Gramiccioni.
The three municipalities were chosen based on their geography and population. All three towns have already integrated vehicle mounted on-board camera technology. That technology and the body cameras will be assessed throughout the program, according to the prosecutor’s office.
The body cameras were purchased with funds provided by the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Law Enforcement Trust Account.
According to a survey conducted by the Police Executive Research Forum, 25 percent of all police departments nationally are using BWCs. The cameras will benefit everyone in the community and can offer many benefits, according to Gramiccioni.
“The recordings may help provide additional evidence in criminal investigations, they may be used administratively as a police training tool, and perhaps most importantly, they will help law enforcement continue to maintain and build credibility and integrity with the public,” Gramiccioni said in a prepared statement.
Police officers selected to participate in the pilot program will wear a camera during their daily routine and patrols, according to the prosecutor’s office.
The officers will be trained to understand the proper use and operation of the camera, which will be able to record all service calls, motor vehicle stops, interviews, investigative detentions, sobriety checkpoints, or any other incidents at the officer’s discretion.
Howell Police Chief Ron Carter said the pilot program is an example of Monmouth County law enforcement agencies making themselves prominent in the community.
“The implementation of this pilot program helps to continue that tradition to help law enforcement forge better relationships with our communities,” Carter said.
Howell Detective Sgt. Eileen Dodd said the department’s participation in the pro gram will be beneficial to the municipality and provide important feedback.
“This gives the police department a chance to test the BWC, and the feedback will help to shape the policies for their use in the future. We already have video cameras in our patrol cars, so it will be interesting to see how the body cameras work in relation to our current system,” Dodd said.
According to the prosecutor’s office, the BWCs have already been deployed in Howell and are expected to be deployed this week in Middletown and Wall Township.