There are currently 60 body-worn cameras being used by the Fort Collins Police. As the only agency in Larimer County using the technology, the line between protecting individual privacy while maintaining public transparency may become blurred. With over 150,000 residents in the City of Fort Collins, the area is expanding at a steady rate.
Police should use body-worn cameras to document all encounters near the Colorado State University campus to ensure that incidents are resolved fairly and efficiently. Body-worn cameras improve the behavior of all parties during an encounter while holding both sides accountable. Traffic stops, disturbances, arrests and more can be documented as evidence using this technology.
Currently, of the 205 sworn officers, pen-sized body-worn cameras are used by the District One unit working the downtown area, according to Sergeant Dean Cunningham in the Financial Crimes Unit. The officers who are currently using the cameras were volunteers when they were first implemented. The recent addition of 40 cameras to the police force was absorbed at a cost of about $181,000, according to the City of Fort Collins website.
Factors such as security and reliability of information are elements that body-worn cameras incorporate when incidents between students and police occur. Read more here.