BLOOMFIELD, NJ -- The
Bloomfield Police Department has used part of its capital budget to purchase
enough body cameras for every Police Officer in uniform. Over 100 Data911 BX2
body cameras were purchased for the department so officers will no longer have
to share them. Additionally, the department’s internal servers have been
updated to allow videos from each camera to be stored for at least 90 days.
“I would like to thank Director DeMaio for his leadership in making the police more accessible to the community,” said Mayor Michael Venezia. “For several years, the
Bloomfield Police Department has been ahead of the curve encouraging officers
to wear body cameras on duty and now all officers will wear these cameras for
the durations of their entire shifts, showing their commitment to transparency
while serving the community.”
The body cameras are assigned
specifically to each officer. Previously, the department only had about 20 body
cameras, so not all officers were able to wear cameras during their shifts. It
takes significant time and manpower to upload the footage from 8 and 10 hour
shifts into a secure police database, which videos are stored for 90 days,
unless a request comes in to have them archived for even longer. Now when an
officer’s shift ends, his or her body camera is charged, with the footage
uploaded and the camera is not used by anyone until he or she returns for his
or her next shift. Police Detectives will not be required to wear the cameras
during their regular work.
“Our entire department is committed
to being 100% transparent with the public, which is why we’ve conducted public
police roll calls throughout various neighborhoods, emphasized community
policing, and made significant financial investments in body cameras during the
years I’ve been with this department,” said Director of Public Safety Samuel
DeMaio. “I would like to thank each and every Officer in our department.
Everyone has stepped up and recognized the need for this to continue to better
serve the residents we are here to protect.”
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