Body cameras a positive step for Cape police

The Cape Girardeau Police Department will roll out body-worn cameras in full effect this summer.

The department has been testing the devices for some time, and all the patrol and traffic officers will wear the cameras beginning in August, if all goes as planned.

Earlier this month, Cpl. Ryan Droege gave a presentation at three public forums.

According to reporting by Joshua Hartwig, who covered one of the forums, Droege said the cameras would attach to the vests of law enforcement officers and can either be initiated manually with a press of a button or automatically activated via Bluetooth from within the patrol car “when certain criteria is met,” such as sirens being turned on.

The cameras, storage and software cost nearly $154,000, with each body-worn camera costing approximately $275. The camera itself has “unlimited” storage capacity, via cloud storage. Only one lieutenant and Droege will have access to the stored videos, in order to protect privacy. The videos would not be treated like an investigative report, which means it is considered closed record until the case is closed; recordings made in private places such as homes, schools and medical facilities, only family members or lawyers could access the footage. Others would need the court’s permission.

It’s a step in a positive direction that Cape Girardeau’s officers will be wearing recording gear. It will protect police officers when they do their jobs the right way and hold them accountable when they don’t.