CINCINNATI, Ohio — Cincinnati Police are moving into a new era that will allow for officers to be more accountable, transparent and ultimately safer for both civilians and the police force.
“It’s been a very helpful tool, I think the advancements in technology have been a game changer for us,” Lt. Steve Saunders said.
- The body camera technology records automatically as a weapon is removed from the holster
- The new cameras can be started remotely via online dashboard to view officers that may be in distress
- Every officer is outfitted with the new camera, but not all have the new weapons yet
Thanks to a $26 million commitment from the City of Cincinnati over the next 10 years, police are now fitted with the latest technology that all works as one to ensure body cameras are rolling.
"I have my body camera now, it’s buffering, so it’s not in a recording mode,” Saunders said. “When I power it on, it will send a signal from the taser to my body camera, automatically turn it on and go into recording mode.”
The cameras can also be started remotely via computer to view an officer’s status via live stream, another handy tool the department plans to use.
“There are situations where officers find themselves entangled in a confrontation, they don’t even get a chance to get on the radio to call for help,” he said. “This is gonna be a potentially lifesaving technology that’s gonna be used, and we have it right now for all 1,000 of officers that are out in the field.”
So far, the entire force is outfitted with the new body camera, but not everyone has the new weapons, as most still need to complete training. But overall, the officers I spoke to view the new system as a major improvement.
“For one thing it protects me against false claims,” Officer Tim Eppstein said. “If a citizen makes something up against me I can prove that it’s not true.”
“Camera’s don’t lie, we have had a lot of instances where someone said the officer did this, did something wrong on a radio run,” Officer Derrick Hill said. “Then we’ll go back to the body camera footage to see what went on, on that particular radio run.”
In addition to the new body camera system, traffic and hostage negotiators have access to a drone that’s equipped with a PA system, to provide instructions from the officers.
It's just another way the Cincinnati Police Force is leading the way in the state of Ohio.
“Continue to focus on continuous improvement as a department, and being as technologically advanced as we can be in law enforcement,” Saunders said. “We’re proud to be on the forefront of technology and leading the way with that.”