West Des Moines Police Will Have Body Cameras By Next Week

WEST DES MOINES, IA — Body-worn cameras will be standard equipment for all West Des Moines police officers starting next week, allowing the department to document traffic stops and other interactions with the public in high definition video. The department purchased 72 cameras for the patrol division and officers will be trained in their use by Nov. 1, the department announced today.

The purchase followed 18 months of research and testing products as well as field tests on products by five manufacturers. The cameras selected, called WatchGuard Vista, were found to best fit the needs of the department, Sgt. Adam Porath said. The body camera will sync with existing patrol vehicle cameras and will be automatically activated if the patrol vehicle'a emergency lights are used. Officers also can activate the camera manually for any documentation purposes.

"This is going to be great for evidence purposes and training purposes and accountability issues," Porath told Patch. "It's a wonderful tool."

Officers will wear the cameras on their shirts. They have a rotating lens to account for varying heights and a mount worn under the shirt prevents them from being dislodged.

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Porath said the department spent $120,000 for the cameras but used $71,000 in federal forfeiture money to supplement the budgeted item. The cost includes the clips and mounts, software updates, vehicle docking stations and charging banks for the units.

The camera can store nine hours of recorded high definition video. Area departments have determined that video captured on the cameras will routinely be kept for 90 days, but anything of evidentiary value will be saved for 180 days “unless we specifically make a copy of it and store it, if we’re going to court or feel we need it for the future,” Porath said.

The cameras are at the police department now and officers are being trained in their use. Porath said that is a detailed process because it involves determining where to wear the camera, how to maneuver with it — even getting in and out of the vehicle and wearing a seatbelt — and how to operate it.

The WatchGuard Vista body camera is water resistant and will operate in temperatures ranging from -4 degrees to 149 degrees.

The West Des Moines Police Department, which has 70 sworn officers, created a video showing the device and the clarity of the video that it produces.

Photo from West Des Moines Police Department