Posted Tuesday, June 5, 2018 12:03 am

All Jasper police officers will soon be equipped with body cameras — the first step Police Chief J.C. Poe said takes the department to the next level in law enforcement in the city.



“It’s a major milestone for the Jasper Police Department for several reasons,” Poe said Monday morning.

Sixty body cameras were delivered Monday and will be distributed to officers over the next two weeks.

Patrol officers and detectives — as well as Poe and Assistant Police chief Paul Tucker — will be required to wear the lightweight cameras when on duty, Poe said.

The use of body camereas by police officers has become a necessity in recent years for many reasons, Poe said.

“It’s beneficial for our officers from the standpoint that if something bad happens and they’re not able to tell their story, we can view the footage and see what happened,” he said. “It also helps if there are any false claims made against our officers. A lot of times it’s the citizen’s word against an officer’s word unless there are witnesses. With this, we have the camera footage to tell the story.”

Using the cameras can also help protect citizens from officers abusing their position, Poe added.

“They will help keep our guys on their best behavior and treat the public the way they should,” he said.

The body cameras — along with three new, in-car computerized camera systems — will soon be in use. Many of the current in-car cameras in JPD vehicles “are so aged-out that we don’t have many that are working,” Poe said.

Poe said he’s hopeful that all JPD vehicles will one day be equipped with the new, state-of-the-art in-car cameras and driven by officers wearing body cameras.

“That’s our goal, to have all this incorporated into each car as soon as possible,” he said.

Mayor David O’Mary was on hand Monday morning to get a quick overview of the new body cameras. He said it’s important that the city provide the necessary equipment for the police department to not only ensure officer safety but also protect the citizens of Jasper.

“It’s certainly a deterrent to having someone who may have intentions of harming an officer,” O’Mary said. “It’s a big safety measure for our officers. On the flip side, we read every day about overzealous police officers, and this is a deterrent to that.

“There’s definite benefits on both sides,” he added.

Poe said he’s grateful to have the support of O’Mary and the Jasper City Council.

“Without the mayor and council, this never would have happened,” Poe said. “Like I said before, this is a great milestone for the Jasper Police Department.”



