WASHINGTON – Laurel police officers will start to wear small cameras that the department hopes will hopefully put an end to disputes at traffic stops and other situations.
But not every officer will wear one of the 3-inch video cameras that can be clipped to a pair of glasses, on a hat, the uniform or a headband.
“It really will produce indisputable evidence for both sides of the situation,” says City of Laurel spokesman Pete Piringer.
“Having proof of what happened can be very useful, both to protect officers and to protect citizens,” ACLU of Maryland attorney David Rocah told WJZ-TV in Baltimore.
Piringer says the video can’t be edited.
“Once it has been uploaded the footage can only be viewed by authorized personnel,” Piringer says.
Officers who wear the cameras will need to notify the people when they are being recorded.
Watch a video featuring the cameras from WJZ-TV in Baltimore:
WTOP’s David Burd contributed to this report. Follow @DavidBurdWTOP and @WTOP on Twitter.
