Fairfield police embrace body cam program

Officer Romaine Chamberlain demonstrates the live view feature on his body camera. Chaimberlain is one of 10 Fairfield police officers participating in a pilot program using the body cameras. Fairfield, CT. 8/17/16 less Officer Romaine Chamberlain demonstrates the live view feature on his body camera. Chaimberlain is one of 10 Fairfield police officers participating in a pilot program using the body cameras. Fairfield, CT. ... more Photo: Genevieve Reilly /Hearst Connecticut Media Photo: Genevieve Reilly /Hearst Connecticut Media Image 1 of / 6 Caption Close Fairfield police embrace body cam program 1 / 6 Back to Gallery

FAIRFIELD — While some police departments are reluctant to use body cameras, a group of officers here have enthusiastically embraced a pilot program using the new technology.

“It’s technology, and sometimes technology fails, nothing’s perfect,” said Officer Romaine Chamberlain. “But it’s the future of policing and I think it’s here to stay.”

Chamberlain is one of 10 officers in the pilot program, that just recently began. The cameras, they’ve found, are not just helpful with recording interactions with the public. The system used by Fairfield officers, manufactured by Taser, can also be used to look under car seats and “see” around corners because of the live viewing capability.

“I believe that it will strongly benefit us in the future, given the different things we officers face,” said Sgt. Hector Irizarry. “I believe in the project and I hope that it gets implemented.”

Irizarry acknowledged that some officers might have concerns about how the department will use the recorded video, and just when the cameras will be recording. He said these cameras, while always buffering and on, ready to record, won’t until a button is pushed by the officer. When that button is pushed, the video “goes back” 30 seconds, and the audio starts when the camera is activated.

And, the 18-year department veteran said, “My concern as a supervisor is if you are doing your job. It’s going to protect you more than hurt you.”

The officers sync the cameras to their cell phones, allowing them not only a live view, but also gives them the opportunity to review video while writing reports. That, the officers said, is particularly helpful when someone is performing field sobriety tests.

The officers cannot edit the video, and at the end of their shift, the cameras are put into a dock and the recordings are uploaded and saved in the cloud. They can add different tags to the videos, such as the incident case number.

Officer Michael Stahl, who has been with the department for six years, said the biggest change is remembering to push that button and start recording. “You need to make that muscle memory, and eventually, it will become second nature as well,” he said.

Stahl said he’s always been a supporter of cameras. “I feel it makes our jobs easier in the long run,” he said.

For Chamberlain, who joined the department a year and a half ago after serving in the Orange Police Department, the transition to the body camera hasn’t been difficult at all.

“I actually have quite a bit of experience with them,” he said, because they are used by the Orange police.

Cameras used by police, Chamberlain said, whether body cams or dashboard cams, “absolve more officers than they condemn ... I know that for a fact.”

He said the cameras have not caused him to change the way he operates. “I prefer the cameras,” Chamberlain said. “Now we have a neutral trail, that can’t be altered by me. I’m happy with them.”

The department spent about $20,000 to purchase the cameras and the contract for cloud storage. Lt. John Bucherati said the officers all volunteered to take part in the pilot program, and the policy on when to use the cameras is modeled on the state’s policy. For example, cameras wouldn’t be used when responding to a call for medical assistance. “They have to exercise some discretion,” Bucherati said.

He said the participating officers all work on different shifts, and all video, for now, is being kept indefinitely.