Delaware County Sheriff Russell Martin confirmed last week that a group of county corrections officers and deputies are testing wearable cameras for on-the-job use.

Delaware County Sheriff Russell Martin confirmed last week that a group of county corrections officers and deputies are testing wearable cameras for on-the-job use.

Martin stressed the county is in the "early stages" of a move toward outfitting the entire department with body cameras. Still, he said he expects the technology soon will become standard for the department -- and for law enforcement agencies across the country.

"I think the community's expectation we're seeing across the board is they want the best evidence that we can provide," he said. "Obviously, I think the wave of the future is some kind of recording device."

The sheriff's office started a 30-day trial of six Taser-brand body cameras Monday, Oct. 20. Employees will test either chest cameras, which can clip on to a uniform similar to a pager, or cameras that attach to glasses.

Martin said the office's use of the technology could increase transparency and public trust in the sheriff's office. While video from a body camera could capture misconduct by a law enforcement officer, Martin said he thinks it's more more likely to exonerate officers from false claims of excessive force.

"Nationwide, where (cameras have) been used, complaints go down (and) officer behavior improves," he said.

Martin said early audits of videos shot since Oct. 20 have revealed no problems and multiple examples of good police work.

Deputies will be instructed to turn their cameras on during any suspected criminal incident, but they also will have the discretion to use the cameras during any interaction with the public. Martin said the deputies are not required under state law to tell people they are being filmed, but it will be office policy to announce that an incident is being recorded whenever possible.

"We prefer that they err on the side of grabbing too much information," he said. "We can always delete that later. Right now, our preference is (to record) when there's an encounter, traffic stop -- anything that's related for a call for service."

Capt. Scott Vance said deputies have been instructed to turn the cameras on before they enter a potentially dangerous situation.

"From the trials we've seen thus far, the (deputies) are thinking ahead and activating them before they exit their car or while they're actually en route to the scene," he said.

Corrections officers will be advised to turn their cameras on during booking, conducting inmate checks and handling inmate complaints.

A debate over whether police officers should be required to wear cameras has grown nationwide after a police officer shot and killed an unarmed teen in Ferguson, Mo., in August, leading to civil unrest.

Martin said his office was researching body cameras before the shooting and the ensuing controversy.

"I think what we've seen out in Missouri had caused us to try to accelerate this," he said.

If the sheriff's office moves ahead with the body-camera program after the initial test, the county will need to find room in the budget for the cameras and additional data storage. Both varieties of the body cameras cost about $500 per unit.

"I think ideally, if we can afford it, we'd like to see this technology on everyone in the field," Martin said.

Video taken by the cameras the sheriff's office is testing must be uploaded before it can be viewed.

Martin said he expects within 15 to 20 years that almost all law enforcement officers will wear cameras that stream live video back to a central location, where a supervisor can monitor their activities.