Police body-worn cameras have become a critical tool when it comes to documenting officers interacting with the public.
One local police department is equipped with upgraded camera technology with the goal, they say, of building more trust in the community they serve.
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WATCH HEREThe cameras can provide a look into what really happens in police encounters, when they’re used properly. Over the years, NBC6 Investigates has highlighted previous cases in other municipalities in which officers were found not to have followed their department’s body-cam policy.
“So, this is a this is a community engagement tool”, said South Miami Police Chief Reo Hatfield III.
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SIGN UP He provided an exclusive look at the upgraded cameras his officers started using in recent weeks. The goal of using the latest technology, he says, is to make sure critical moments are captured on video.
“I think in general officers are you know have had had concerns over these over the years,” Hatfield explained. "I think that perception is diminished quite a bit now."
Chief Hatfield said that’s because the cameras have had a positive effect overall in his department.
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“The cameras are actually reinforcing good behavior on part of the citizens,” he said. "I would say on part of the officers as well. But also, it defends the officers at many times when there are false allegations against them.”
A study done by Miami’s now disbanded civilian investigative panel in 2022 found in most cases when cameras were in use in that city’s police department, officers were exonerated twice as often as when the officers were not recording.
The new Axon 4 cameras being rolled out in South Miami are described as showing a wider view of what’s happening and providing "real time support," according to the manufacturer’s website.
“Well, the most appealing feature, is some of the communication that can happen via the camera itself,” the chief said.
Once the camera is recording, a supervisor can log on in real time and see what’s happening and even communicate with the officer if needed.
“So, you know you get an officer for example that is in a hairy situation, so to speak, or their voice is escalating, and the supervisor needs to know what's going on,” Hatfield explained. "They can log in and see what's actively occurring."
He said GPS tracking on the cameras also shows the officer’s location. It also accounts for critical situations in the event an officer forgets to turn on their camera and start recording.
"In the instance where they don't, or they forget to, we have Signal sidearm, which is going to be attached to the officer's holsters," Hatfield said.
That means if an officer pulls their weapon, recording starts, not just on their camera but officers’ nearby.
"It's going to activate the camera automatically and any camera within about 35, approximately 35 feet of that officer, so you get a full-blown view,” he added.
Also unique to these cameras, is a new community engagement tool.
Assistant Chief Larry Corbin says anyone who interacts with officers will get a text message allowing them to complete an anonymous survey. He showed NBC6 the dashboard where supervisors monitor feedback from people who have responded so far.
“And what kind of service are we providing? Is it positive? Is it negative?” asked Hatfield. “Do we need to correct some behaviors? Do we need to…you know change some policies?”
The chief said his hope is for the new technology to help foster more trust between law enforcement and the public.
“Anything that we can do to provide the citizens an opportunity to communicate with us and for us to communicate back to them,” he said. “I think that's crucial.”
Hatfield said the new camera technology costs around $155,000 a year for a five-year period. That’s approximately $20,000 more than they were paying for the previous version. In addition to the new features, the price is also due to an increase in the number of cameras so every officer from the chief down is equipped with one.
