Brick Township Patrol Officers To Begin Wearing Body Cameras

BRICK, NJ — Brick Township patrol officers will soon be wearing body cameras as part of their uniform, the department announced Thursday.

"This equipment will assist agency personnel in the performance of their duties by providing an accurate and unbiased recorded account of an incident," the department said in a news release.

The cameras are being paid for with $112,500 in funds from a grant to the township from the U.S. Department of Justice.

Body-worn camera recordings "are invaluable to law enforcement for evidential purposes," the department said. The recordings have been used in the prosecution of criminal, traffic, and other related offenses, the department said, as well as to protect personnel from false claims of misconduct.

"Additionally, this equipment will provide valuable instructional material that can be utilized for in-service training programs," the release said.

These recordings will serve the following purposes:

• Recordings serve as protection for police officers when there are complaints about their conduct or professionalism during encounters with the public.
• The recordings may be introduced into evidence in criminal and motor vehicle prosecutions as well as in civil litigation.
• The recordings may resolve disputes concerning what occurred during particular incidents, thereby protecting both the public and the officers involved.
• When complete recall is not possible, such as when multiple events are happening simultaneously or out of an officer's line of sight, an audio/visual recording may provide an accurate record of events.
• Supervisors will be able to view the recordings and select portions to use to train officers in safety, field training, interpersonal skills, proper police procedures, and legal doctrines.
• Recordings can permit supervisors to undertake more meaningful performance evaluations.
• Recordings augment management’s ability to evaluate its basic police practices and interactions between its personnel and the general public.
• Recordings enhance management’s ability to train personnel in proper police procedures.

The use of the body worn cameras will follow the guidelines issued by the New Jersey Attorney General and the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office along with the policies set by the Brick Township Police Department, the news release said.

Photo supplied by the Brick Township Police Department shows one type of body camera being tested by the department.