Body Cams for Police Officers

With altercations between police and citizens making national news headlines recently, many police departments are looking to equip officers with body cameras. The Upper Peninsula’s Regional Homeland Security Board is looking at a project that would equip as many U.P. police officers as possible with the body cams. Delta County Emergency Management Coordinator Bob Berbohm says that they’re moving slowly, but thoughtfully, on this project. He says the cameras cost anywhere between $400 and $700 apiece. Berbohm says that the plan is to use some of the Upper Peninsula’s $380,000 annual homeland security grant to pay for some of these cameras, with matching funds covering the rest of the cost. The cameras record everything that the officers do when they make contact with a suspect, and they record the actions of the suspect. Berbohm says that he’s reaching out to law enforcement for their opinions on the cameras, and which types might be better than others. He says that he will compile that data, and will turn it over to the chairman of the Regional Homeland Security Board, for a meeting on January 8th.