Research on Body-Worn Cameras and Law Enforcement | National Institute of Justice (ojp.gov)
Truy, one could just cry at the stupid and “non curious” around us. When you read the Waco Trib News Article below from 2016, that’s 7 years ago, it shows Walt Stubblefield, Constable, had body cams and other constables went to the Commissioners to get FUNDING of $4K FOR bodycams. (THIS is because they, like so many others are too stupid to fkn GOOGLE it) You use the over paid Grant Writer, wife of the Ranger, to fill out a FORM and the State of Texas does it for free.
So, also, Par’s “been thinkin'” about body cams, according to the non curious but always ready to sing for Parnell and get paid, KWTX, well, how long does it take? We see he was “lookin’ into it” back in 2016.
NOW he’s going to give body cams to “patrol”, what about the deputies in the gawddamned schools with the guns ready for a school shooter, you gawddamned idiots, I cannot stand much more of the incredible stupid.
SCHOOL SHOOTERS, you have deputies with NO BODY CAMS. THE DEPUTIES WANT THE BODY CAMS ARE YOU ALL INSANE?????
He’s a great leader? Deputies in the schools in the county have no body cams.
Come on, moms, dads, think. Act. Read. GOOGLE.
If I drank I’d be drunk right now, the level of bullshit and stupid is just deep. How do you young people stand this shit?
Get rid of us old peeps.
H
Go read the thing below, oh, hell why not
Fri, Oct 13 at 11:29 AM
From 2016
McLennan County Precinct 1 Constable Walt Strickland is looking to expand his deputies’ use of body cameras.
Strickland said he’s experimented with three cameras during the past year and is partnering with the McLennan County District Attorney’s Office to get four more.
Strickland has gone before commissioners to request $4,000 for the added cameras to equip each of his deputies, but the commissioners didn’t add the money to his budget to buy all four devices at once. Strickland said District Attorney Abel Reyna has helped other agencies in the past and offered to help him fund the added cameras.
Precinct 5 also recently made the move to provide body cameras for deputies.
Constable Freddie Cantu said he bought two body cameras two months ago. He wears one, and his one full-time deputy wears the other across their district, which covers South and North Waco. Cantu said he used money from his annual budget to fund the two cameras and storage capabilities.
During the past year, Precinct 1 Deputy Constable Joseph Rankin said he’s had incidents that have made him thankful to have the small device attached to his uniform.
During traffic stops, Rankin said, he sometimes comes across individuals challenging his position and reasoning.
“Sometimes you can let someone know you’re recording, and they calm down,” Rankin said.
Rankin said his biggest challenge with the device is remembering to turn it off. Despite any hiccups, Rankin said, he’s never had the camera’s storage fill up on duty as he regularly drops it off at the office to have the information downloaded.
With the camera clipped onto his vest on top of his shoulder, he has sometimes turned on the device with his cheek in turning his head to the right. Rankin said his wife solved that problem for him. She took extra material from inside his vest and created a pocket that snugly fits the camera and attached it to the front of his vest.
The use of the cameras has spread among police departments in McLennan County over the years. Waco City Council took a step forward in December after agreeing to recruit a consultant to advise police on what equipment to buy and how to operate it.
While some departments are just starting the process of obtaining the additional equipment, others have used the resource for years, including police departments in Bellmead, Lacy Lakeview and Moody. The McLennan County Sheriff’s Office only uses body cameras by certain detectives for certain cases, Sheriff Parnell McNamara said.
“We’re just kicking it around still in the consideration stage,” McNamara said.
County Commissioner Ben Perry, who was in law enforcement almost 15 years, said he supports law enforcement using cameras but he just wants to ensure a good policy is adopted and in place. Perry joked that “we were dinosaurs” when he was in law enforcement — officers had just gotten in-car cameras and laptops in vehicles.
Perry said he can see why Strickland is pushing for added cameras in his precinct. He said Strickland has looked across the state at other constables’ offices that do more than serve civil papers, that work toward deterring criminal activity, and has taken a more progressive approach in his office.
“The others don’t engage in the activity Walt does,” he said.
Mitigating lawsuits
Perry said the cameras are good to mitigate lawsuits and, if used appropriately, can show an officer what areas they may fall short in.
Precinct 4 Constable Stan Hickey said he hadn’t thought about getting body cameras for the deputies in his precinct and doesn’t see the need.
“We don’t deal that much with the public other than serving papers,” Hickey said.
Strickland said he purchased the first three cameras in the fall of 2014.
“We feel like in the interests of departmental integrity, it protects the troops, it protects the citizens,” Strickland said. “No matter how good your memory is when you have an incident that turns critical, no one can remember it perfectly.”
Strickland said the deputies serving warrants or working traffic are the ones currently wearing the cameras in his precinct. Those working civil cases will get the new cameras to wear as they serve papers, he said.
Camera footage — which is time-stamped and dated — is kept in the office for a minimum of 90 days unless it’s blank footage, he said. The deputies have been training with the cameras and working with Strickland to develop a policy.
“This is a higher-grade camera than we bought the first time,” he said. “It has to be done manually, turn on and off. Part of the learning curve is getting used to doing it.”
Reyna, the district attorney and Constables David Maler and John Johnson didn’t return calls for comment.
