HENRICO, VA (WWBT) - It is safe to say business owner Adeeb Abed is looking forward to Henrico Police officers being outfitted with new body cameras. Adeeb is one of dozens who came out to Saturday morning's public forum centered on fair and impartial policing.



"Pictures speak louder than words most of the time," Adeeb Abed said.



While he does feel like the cameras will be an asset he's not so sure being fair and impartial is something that can be taught.



Abed stated, "I think it is a first step, I don't think it is a solution, I think the next step that needs to be is for the police to reach out and come to the communities and get to know the community as people, one on one."



Adeeb is also President of the Arab American Association of Central Virginia. He believes exposing officers to the culture in the communities that they serve will give them a better idea of how to react in certain situations.



"Understanding their culture will strengthen the relationship that we have and it is that relationship and that dialog that evolves out of those interactions that makes us stronger in how we deal with crime in our communities," Chief Doug Middleton Said.



Right now, the department has 250 cameras. The first 50 will roll out a week from Monday. The chief says every officer that comes in contact with the public will eventually be outfitted with a body camera.



Ting Phan with the Virginia Asian Foundation says the cameras are good for evidence purposes but could potentially be an invasion of privacy. Chief Middleton says the cameras are only a small part of the larger picture.



"The camera for me is not as important, it is how we impact the way our police officers think and that thinking impacts how they react," Chief Doug Middleton said.



