Over the next two weeks, the Perrysburg Police Division will be phasing in the use of a new in-car and body worn camera system.  The Perrysburg Police Division has used an in-car camera system for the last five years, but recently updated the in-car system in order for it to work in conjunction with the new body worn camera system.  Perrysburg Police Officers will be wearing body worn cameras on patrol. In addition to having in-car video cameras in their patrol vehicles, officers will be equipped with new body worn cameras. The body worn camera functions as a camera and DVR combination to collect video and audio evidence.  Police Officers will wear the camera on the outer most layer of their uniform. 

The Perrysburg Police Division’s use of body worn cameras will be a valuable tool in accurately documenting events, actions, conditions and statements, made during traffic stops, field interviews, arrests and critical incidents. Body worn cameras are a valuable asset intended to assist officers in the prosecution of offenders by augmenting an officer’s testimony with a video/audio record of the incident. Although body worn cameras do not capture everything the officer sees, it will be beneficial for court and will document a clearer picture of what happened during an incident. The use of the cameras increases transparency and also provides an opportunity to capture the good work that the police officers do on a daily basis.  Additionally, this equipment will enable division administrators to conduct periodic reviews of officer-citizen contacts, for quality control purposes and will aid in the investigation of citizen complaints.

The use of the body worn cameras will follow the Ohio Collaborative Law Enforcement Agency Certification standards and the policy implemented by the Perrysburg Police Division.