The Berrien County Sheriff’s office has rolled out body cameras with all its patrol deputies and in the county jail.
Every enforcement officer in the Sheriff’s department--road patrol and detectives--have a body cam. They’re also assigned by shift in the jail.
The body cams hit the streets in mid-July.
Undersheriff Chuck Heit said they’ve had dash cams in the police cars for more than 15 years now. This upgrade is meant to provide more information and accountability.
“It’s truly meant to capture what the officer saw at the time as well. The field of view is more what the human eye would see along with any time of night time vision enhancements it’s based on what the human eye can see at that time.”
Heit said the body cams have already been used for deputies filling out reports and they’ve been helpful with behavior in the jail.
The cameras cost the county $117,000 for the equipment purchase and some ongoing costs for data storage.
Heit said the technology is a benefit for the police and for the community.