CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Training on how to use newly ordered body cameras for the Charleston Police Dept. is now underway, said city police chief Brent Webster.
Webster hoped that officers would be wearing the cameras within two to three weeks.
“The vendor came in last week to train our staff and the appropriate people that are going to train the rest of the folks on how to use these body cameras,” Webster said. “My understanding was everyone’s very happy with them; they’re very durable.”
Webster said that because so much footage will be available, the department will have a policy to decide what will be saved.
“Uses of force, any high profile incident. It’s going to pretty much capture all the main things we need to capture,” he said.
Webster said most of the officers’ reactions to wearing body cameras have been positive, and that he believes the footage will show more about the public’s behavior toward officers rather than any officer misconduct.
“If it changes the bedside manner of some officers too that’s fine, of course we would like that” Webster said. “But I think that overwhelmingly a large majority of officer interactions that we have, the officers are doing the right thing. A lot of things get said that aren’t true.”
The cameras purchased are top of the line, Webster said.
“We bought what would be considered to be a state-of-the-art model. And they have to be durable, because if they don’t work, that’s not going to help with credibility.”