MILLSBORO, De. - The Millsboro Town Council approved the purchase of three new body cameras for it's police force on Monday evening. At a cost of $2,697 the three cameras were purchased, following requests from the department to do so.
The department currently owns two older versions of body cameras, which Capt. Brian Calloway said have been helpful, although at times problematic. Calloway said problems of durability and storage have prompted the request for newer technology.
Calloway said that recent events in Ferguson are a reminder of why these devices are so important for both citizens and police officers.
"If they are involved in a force-related incident," he said of officers. "It can show and justify what kind of force they used. And when they used it."
On Tuesday afternoon, WBOC looked through past videos with Calloway. He said that boosting transparency was a key part of the purchase.
"I investigate all of our citizen complaints that appear," he said. "And nine times out of the ten when they come in - the camera is what exonerates the police officer from any wrong doing."
The new technology will also automatically transfer all recordings to a server, which also holds the car camera footage from the department. Calloway said that officers are not allowed to delete or alter the video.
The department spent almost $5,500 on an additional server to hold all of this footage. Calloway said that this creates separate problems, when it comes to maintaining and archiving the video.
