New Castle County police testing body-worn cameras on 8 officers

MINQUADALE, DELAWARE (7/30/2015) Eight New Castle County police officers are wearing body cameras under a pilot program begun earlier this month, officials announced today.

“We hope to have every officer equipped with a body-worn camera in the near future,” said Col. E.M. Setting, chief of police.

The eight cameras now deployed are in the patrol and special operations divisions, worn by officers with various length of service.

The hands-free cameras will record audio and video of incidents, and the department released a sample video from a traffic stop (shown above).

County Executive Tom Gordon said, “We love to be ahead of everything in technology, and this initiative is another example of that. We are happy to be the first major police agency to use this valuable equipment. Our police department already respects everyone it comes across, but it does not hurt to have this technology in place.

Setting said, “We are hoping for greater community trust through this technology.”

The cost of the program and deployment of more body-worn cameras for the department is still yet to be determined, officials said. The pilot program will help determine what it takes to equip, store, and maintain the camera and footage obtained.

Delaware Attorney General Matt Denn said, “Body cameras for police officers are a great tool, and the state’s end goal should be that every police officer in the state wears one. It is important to get to that statewide goal thoughtfully and with eyes wide open as to the cost and complications. Having a body camera system in place is not cheap, it involves costs far more than just purchasing the cameras, and we need to acknowledge and plan for that up front.”

In-car video with audio