NEW ALBANY, Ind. (WDRB) -- Body cameras will soon be mandatory in New Albany, Indiana.
Todd Bailey, the chief of the New Albany Police Department, said the cameras will capture interactions between police officers and members of the public from the moment they begin. He said it's all about modernizing the police department to emphasize trust and transparency.
"When an officer is in the field and he or she is doing their job you want the best record of whatever that work product was," he said.
He said the department's body camera program will cost more than $700,000 spread out over a period of five years.
"The camera can itself de-escalate a lot of bad behavior, so the officers are in support of that," Bailey said.
The city council approved funding for the program last year.
"I would think as a citizen you feel safe that the interaction is being recorded," said Jason Applegate, a New Albany councilman who represents the city-at-large. "There is also the other side that protects the officer."
Bailey said the department is still determining what encounters would require the use of a body camera. For the time being, officers will have the ability to activate the cameras themselves.
The cameras can also turn on automatically if another camera is activated nearby.
"But also if a taser is drawn, or if a handgun is drawn, there is connectivity that will ensure the body camera activates," Bailey said.
New Albany Mayor Jeff Gahan said he supported the department's use of body cameras.
"We wanted the best product," he said. "We wanted it to be something we looked at and everyone was comfortable with and provides the security and safety and transparency that everyone wants."
The department is scheduled to begin using the body cameras in the community sometime in May.
In Kentucky, the St. Mathews Police Department also plans to purchase body cameras for officers to use by mid-summer.
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