DIGHTON — Chief Shawn Cronin is pleased to announce that the Dighton Police Department has officially launched its body-worn camera program for all sworn officers today.
The program officially began Monday, March 6. All officers have been outfitted with a Wolfcom body-worn camera, which is affixed in the officer’s uniform to prevent it from detaching, and have received training on how the device operates and functions by Det. Ryan Richards and Sgt. George Nichols.
As part of this program, all Dighton Police officers are now required by department policy to wear the body-worn camera at all times during their patrol shifts. Policy dictates that they activate the camera during all police interactions while keeping in consideration that on certain calls for service, there will exist an expectation of privacy.
The Town of Dighton’s Harbormaster program and Animal Control Officer will also be required to wear body-worn cameras and follow the Dighton Police Department’s policy regarding the implementation of the new technology.
“With the launch of our new body-worn camera program, we are ushering in a new age of transparency and accountability within the Dighton Police Department,” Chief Cronin said. “All officers within the department are outfitted with a body-worn camera and the cameras will be on during all interactions our officers have with those in our community. We hope that with this new program, we can continue to uphold the public trust that we are fortunate to have from our community.”
The department also has a dedicated server to collect and store video data from body-worn cameras. The department plans to regularly review and update body-worn camera policies to align with identified local and national best practices.
“The implementation of the Dighton Police Department’s Body-Worn Camera program is a true testament to the successful modern-day partnership between law enforcement personnel, town officials and residents that exists in Dighton to advance best policing practices,” added Town Administrator Michael Mullen. “We’re pleased to see this program kick-off, and we can remain proud in knowing that the men and women of the Dighton Police Department represent the very best in professionalism, skill and upholding the trust placed in them by the residents of our community.
The Dighton Police Department was awarded $51,415 from the state Executive Office of Public Safety to fund the body-worn camera program as part of $2.5 million in grant funding to increase the number of law enforcement officers outfitted with body-worn cameras in the Commonwealth.
Upon receiving funding, the department and town officials were required to negotiate a collective bargaining agreement with Dighton’s police officers union to implement the use of body-worn cameras.
The department thanks the Town of Dighton and Board of Selectmen for their support of this initiative.
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