GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — The Police Department's bodycam program rollout will be complete by the end of this week.  

 

All officers will be utilizing body-worn cameras to help document investigations and incidents.

 

The use of a body-worn camera system provides persuasive documentary evidence and helps defend against civil litigation and allegations of officer misconduct, said officials. The goal of this program is to ensure that audiovisual recordings provide a true and accurate a depiction of events in order to provide the best possible evidence and documentation.

 

The purpose of body-worn cameras is to assist with community relations by fostering better accountability for the actions of its personnel. They will document interactions with the public to identify ways officers can serve the community better. 

 

By capturing digital audio-video evidence for criminal, civil, and traffic-related court cases, this can assist in a successful prosecution and help victims of crimes. The Police Department can also use the data to identify what trainings are needed for officers to improve the quality of interactions between officers and the members of the public.

 

The program is partially funded by a grant of almost $20,000.00.