Swampscott Police To Wear Body Cameras Starting Friday

SWAMPSCOTT, MA — The Swampscott Police Department will become the latest in the state to mandate that all officers wear body cameras on their uniforms beginning on Friday.

Town and police officials said the cameras "will mark a new era of policing for the department" in a joint statement posted online on Wednesday morning.

"The goal of the cameras is to enhance public safety, ensure transparency, protect individuals' rights and improve public safety," Swampscott Police Chief Ruben Quesada said.

Town Administrator Sean Fitzgerald said that implementing the cameras will bring the department a "new technology aimed at enhancing trust and procedural justice."

Officials said the cameras will benefit the officers, department and Swampscott residents with "an ability to accurately depict what has transpired." They said in other departments the body cameras have led to more positive interactions with the public and a decrease in complaints lodged against officers.

Swampscott officers are being trained in the Axon body-3 worn cameras this week, which officials said is Axon's most current camera technology.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)