SJPD Officers Getting Body Cams After Years Of Testing

SAN JOSE (KCBS) -- After over two years of testing body cameras, San Jose Police plan to roll out the technology to all officers in the field this week, but the cameras are being welcomed with a heavy dose of skepticism by some community leaders.

Starting Wednesday, the department will equip officers with the cameras to record video and audio of police interactions with the public.

"There's not gonna be two versions of what happened. It's not gonna be a complaint saying, 'he was rude; he used excessive force,' versus my version of events, and what I've documented in police reports. There's gonna be one story, and it's gonna be captured on this camera," Officer Christian Camarillo of the San Jose Police told KCBS.

The recordings will become part of police investigative records, and will not be released to the public.

Jeff Moore, President of the San Jose Silicon Valley NAACP says that is a mistake.

"Our district attorneys will often say it's to not jeopardize a jury pool. But, I'd say right now the communities have cameras, and we're not being jeopardized by seeing the footage. We're seeing it firsthand, and live sometimes," Moore said.

SJPD has posted its complete body camera policy on its website.

In:
• San Jose