WINONA, Minn. — The City Council approved $330,000 to buy police bodycams. Police Chief Tom Williams called the cameras an added level of transparency. The plan, he said, is to have the cameras and related recording system in place over the summer. Brian Churchill, of the camera vendor BodyWorn, told the Council that the cameras would be worn inside an officer’s vest so they can’t fall off. They would be activated by a dispatcher issuing a call to an officer in the field. The contract covers 41 bodycams and Bluetooth links, officer uniforms to accommodate the cans, and 18 dashcams. The purchase price is covered partly by a $78,000 federal grant.
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Williams: “It protects the officers from the possibility of somebody saying the officer did something that was inappropriate or that they shouldn’t have done. Excessive force obviously comes to mind — that an officer used more force than what was necessary. His body camera can show the footage that, no, maybe the officer did not do that. The citizens then, if an officer did use excessive force, it holds that officer accountable for their actions and provides a greater level of trust for the community.”