Morris Township police rolling out body cams this week

Body worn camera that Morris Township police are deploying, April 2019. Photo courtesy of Morris Township police.
Body worn camera that Morris Township police are deploying, April 2019. Photo courtesy of Morris Township police.
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Editor’s note: This program has been planned for about six months and is not in response to last week’s escape of a burglary suspect from police custody, Chief DiCarlo said on Sunday. That incident remains under investigation, the chief said. In neighboring Morristown, police have been wearing body cams since 2015.

From Morris Township Police Chief Mark DiCarlo:

Morris Township Police Implement Body Worn Camera Program

I am pleased to announce the implementation of the Body Worn Camera (BWC) Program for the Morris Township Police Department.

Body-mounted camera that Morris Township police are deploying, April 2019. Photo courtesy of Morris Township Police.
Body-mounted camera that Morris Township police are deploying, April 2019. Photo courtesy of Morris Township Police.

Our department has chosen the WatchGuard Body Worn Camera device, which fully conforms with the requirements established by the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office and the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office.

The Morris Township Police Department will begin deploying the BWC this week. The program is only a Pilot Program at this time; however, we have full intention of equipping all of our patrol officers with the device.

The department currently has six BWC’s that will be assigned to patrol officers on a rotating basis for them to become efficient and confident with its use. As funding becomes available, the department will purchase more BWC’s.

The BWC will record audio and video and will be located on the officer’s torso area. I encourage residents to visit the Morris Township Police Website for further information on the device and a copy of our Standard Operating Policy, Body Worn Cameras.

I fully believe in and support the hard work and professionalism of my police officers. The implementation of this program will only enhance our professionalism and bring further transparency of the Morris Township Police Department to the public.

Chief Mark DiCarlo
Morris Township Police Department

1 COMMENT

  1. Things that would be interesting to ask if one were investigating how this impacts the community:

    – What is the initial cost?
    – What is the annual cost (the devices probably have a myriad of cloud-hosted add-ons that are required to continue using the devices)
    – Who has access to the footage?
    – What processes are in place to ensure unauthorized persons do not have access to the footage?
    – Are officers able to turn off the cameras at will and if so, why?
    – Is the public able to view footage with a FOIA request?

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