Cranston, Warwick begin to equip police officers with body cameras
WARWICK, R.I. (WJAR) — Police departments across Rhode Island are rolling out their body camera programs.
In Warwick, 102 body-worn cameras are going to frontline officers who regularly interact with the public.
"We felt it was a win-win. A win for us, a win for the citizens and other people visiting the community," Maj. Andrew Sullivan, the administrative bureau commander for the Warwick Police Department said. "We believe in the transparency of the project. We're very transparent to begin with, and we feel that that this will just enhance that quality that we possess, as a department and build more even more trust with as citizens and visitors."
The training and rollout process is happening over the next couple of weeks.
"It's going very well so far without any major issues. It's a learning curve for all the officers to adjust," he said.
According to Sullivan, officers will turn on the cameras when responding to a call.
Sullivan said that supervisors will regularly review video of their subordinates.
In Cranston, a total of 84 officers will be equipped with body cameras over the next few weeks.
In a statement, Cranston Police Chief Michael Winquist said, "Cranston Police Officers carry out their duties with outstanding professionalism and competency. A first-hand account of their performance in the field is welcomed and will provide an opportunity to enhance training."
The footage from each body camera will be kept in a cloud-based storage system.
According to Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha, the footage is subject to the Rhode Island Access to Public Records Act.
"There's nothing about this, that's any different from any other public record," Neronha said. "It's going to be handled the way any other request for a public record would be. Oftentimes, that's going to be involved with the balancing of the privacy interest of the person involved with how the record in this case -- the body cam footage -- advances a public interest, but that's the same kind of analysis that happens all the time."