West Hartford Cops Evaluating Body Camera Systems

WEST HARTFORD, CT — West Hartford Police Department officials said Friday that officers are now "testing and evaluating body-worn cameras in the field."

West Hartford police have had in-car cameras in place since 2013, but have extended it to the officers themselves, party due to the state's new accountability laws.

Officials said the WHPD recently solicited quotes from several body/in-car camera manufacturers for a new system and have narrowed down the list of vendors to Axon, Motorola Solutions and Panasonic.

All three companies’ products will be tested and evaluated over the next few months by a select group of officers and supervisors representing a cross-section of police personnel on patrol, officials said.

"We hope to complete evaluations in June 2021 and choose a vendor to outfit all officers with their own body-worn camera as well as updating all in-car systems soon thereafter," officials said.

Officer Chris Lyth of the WHPD Traffic Division recently showed off an Axon body camera: