Saginaw Police Officers to Receive TASER Cameras

Officers in Saginaw will soon find themselves adding an additional tool to their gun belts as the purchase of TASER devices has recently been approved by the City Council.

However, while many officers already carry the self defense device as part of their protective equipment these devices will be outfitted with cameras allowing officers to do their jobs with the piece of mind that they have the necessary evidence captured should it be called to court.

Costing just under $9,000, the Saginaw Police Department will purchase 23 of the cameras for police use.

The employment of the TASER device cameras means that police will have the information they require should the need to provide evidence of a particular event that attracted criticism from the public be required. Not every one is a fan of the self defense devices, so it’s important that police departments have a means of protecting its officers from the bad press they receive.

In order to do this, the video captured with the cameras will be able to store data on a chip for up to 90 minutes. The video presents an additional layer of accountability as it will capture what happens before, during and after an incident.

Even though this type of technology has been around for around five years, it hasn’t been widely employed in this particular area.

Many believe, though, that the use of the cameras will in effect only benefit the officers, particularly if there are allegations of misuse from the devices. After all, what better device is there to have on hand then that of a camera which can record everything that takes place?

If everything goes to plan the Saginaw Police Department should have the TASER cameras in the next week and will be put into practice after training has taken place.

Saginaw police are not the first to think about installing cameras into their line of work when it comes to the use of the self defense devices. Numerous police departments across the United States are already taking this route in order to protect their officers who are doing their job of protecting the public.

Due to the nature at hand it is necessary for such a measure to be put in place so that officers can rest assured that they have the necessary evidence at hand should their work be called into question.