Interim CEO Announces Police Body Camera Purchase - Commissioners approve $738K purchase from Decatur company

DECATUR, Ga.— DeKalb County Police officers soon will be equipped with state-of-the-art body cameras.

On June 28, the DeKalb County Board of Commissioners awarded a $737,724 contract to Utility Associates of Decatur to purchase 600 BodyWorn wearable body cameras to outfit the entire uniform division.

“The purchase of this technology will benefit both police officers and the public by providing an added layer of transparency and accountability,” said DeKalb County Interim CEO Lee May. “This is another important investment in community-oriented policing by using technology to aid in building trust and mutual respect between law enforcement and those they are sworn to protect.”

DeKalb County Police Department’s comprehensive body camera system will be used to record interaction with the public as they happen, providing law enforcement officials the ability to determine timelines and circumstances of potentially every police encounter.

The BodyWorn cameras can be automatically activated by central dispatch personnel, various sensors in the patrol vehicle, and when an officer is down. The devices also can be activated manually.

According to the police department’s new policy on body cameras:

• Whenever possible, officers will notify citizens that they are being recorded. 
• Recordings considered evidence for criminal proceedings will be retained until final disposition of the case.
• Recordings considered to be valuable for complaints and/or training purposes will be saved for six months.
• The cameras only can be used during law enforcement duties.

In a second phase of equipping officers with body cameras, the county plans to purchase more cameras, but will largely focus on increased storage capacity for video.

The police department expects to receive the cameras in early fall. DeKalb Police began testing body cameras in 2013.

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