Quincy Police Officers now equipped with body cameras
Quincy Police Officers are now set up with body cameras as of Wednesday when the department deployed 51 cameras.
Those cameras were deployed to uniformed patrol officers, street crime units, and the department's housing officer. Plus, 17 police cruisers and another department vehicle have new systems synced to the cameras.
Officers wear the body cameras on their chests. They automatically record when an officer increases his or her pace or when they activate cruiser lights and sirens.
We have them, we are using them. They are going to be recording different situations," Sgt. Adam Yates explained. "So if you interact with the police you can almost guarantee that the camera is on the officer and it is recording.
Yates said the benefit for residents is transparency.
A lot of complaints, and a lot of ill will towards police comes from situations that are made up or exaggerated," Sgt. Yates explained. "With these cameras we now have the ability to show and document exactly what is going out on the street with officers are encountering individuals.
Yates said there are a few minor bugs with the system that are still getting resolved but they do not impact the officers on patrol.
He added the entire system will be working as expected within the next two weeks.
