WASHINGTON — The new body-worn camera program rolling out in Prince William County in just a few months will be the first time police officers in the county can record their actions, and the police chief wants residents to know that they, too, will be on tape.
Officers do not have dashboard cameras on their cruisers, so the first-round of body-worn cameras that will be deployed in September will be a change for both officers and the community, said Prince William county police spokesman Jonathan Perok.
The first cameras will go to officers who have the most interaction with the public, including those in schools and in the traffic and K-9 units.
Police Chief Barry Barnard wrote a letter to the community informing that the department will use social media and a new webpage to educate residents on how the program will work.
By the end of the year, Perok said most officers will be wearing cameras. The program is a proactive step in policing, he said, and was modeled by what worked and what didn’t in other jurisdictions.
