The Lumberton Police Department as April 7, 2014 implemented the use of body cameras to its existing arsenal of cutting edge technology. In addition to having in-car video cameras in every patrol vehicle, the Lumberton Police Department has equipped officers with a Body Worn Camera System.
The Lumberton Police Department’s use of Body Worn Video Camera technology will provide value in enhancing officer safety, reduction of liability, assist with prosecution and case resolution, and further promote professionalism and accountability.
The TASER AXON body camera is an ultra-durable on-officer camera designed to balance both simplicity and performance. The AXON camera will provide our members with a core unibody design for easy deployment. A 130-degree wide-angle lens, multiple on-body mounting options, a full shift buffer, and the easy deployment allows a single button solution to recording digital evidence. The video will automatically upload to EVIDENCE.com, a cloud-based storage and management system, where it can be easily accessed for review. An end-user cannot tamper with video files stored online or on AXON video camera. The cameras record a continuous 30-second loop, so when an officer activates the device while interacting with the public, images of what occurred immediately prior to the contact will be available.
In 2014, Lumberton Police investigated approximately 15,000 patrol activities including calls for service and motor vehicle stops. During this time period, our members were involved in use of force incidents. The cameras were beneficial to departmental members investigating those uses of force incidents. The body camera shows what actually occurred and leaves out any speculation
Chief Nicholas Peditto believes that in the current culture virtually every citizen has a video capable smart-phone and it’s imperative that we are capturing events from the beginning of our police encounter until the end. The cameras will pay a huge dividend in reducing litigation while increasing officer efficiency. The cameras will protect our agency from frivolous allegations, allow us to capture the events in real-time as they unfold and prevent expensive and time-consuming lawsuits.