Fort Myers PD to Start Wearing Body Cameras

Body cameras are becoming more popular by the day with law enforcement officers because of their ability to protect officers from unfounded complaints and preserve evidence from field interviews, among many other reasons.

The Fort Myers Police Department will become the first department in its region to use body cameras starting later in September.

RELATED: 10 Reasons Cops Should Use Body-Worn Cameras 

The department is “expecting to receive 40 of the cameras this month,” according to the Florida-based News-Press.com.

The body cameras, manufactured by TASER, and the technology to program the videos and download them cost an initial $70,000, Baker said, adding that the bulk of the cost is in maintaining the software and downloads, not the actual cameras.

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The department chose the small, body cameras that can clip to shirts because they would work better in Southwest Florida’s humidity and rain over a model that is attached to glasses.

“I want to make sure we’re following policy and, when people are filing complaints, they’re being accurate,” Chief Doug Baker told News-Press.com. “It’s a device to keep everybody safe.” Keep Reading