As recently reported by WMUR’s Jennifer Gannon, Police officers in Milton, NH are among the first in New Hampshire to wear video recording cameras that capture everything that happens when they are out on duty.
The camera is a small, lipstick-sized device that can attach to the officer’s headband or glasses. Chief Richard Krauss reports that the police department paid approximately $1000 each for the cameras. Thus far, Milton police report that the cameras have been a great tool for gathering evidence. And, as for encounters with an “agitated” person, “you tell them they are being audio and video recorded, their attitude changes very, very quickly,” said Chief Richard Krauss.
The cameras can hold up to five hours of video recordings and the battery can last through an entire shift. The video can then be downloaded to a computer and archived on a DVD when necessary. “This type of on-scene video recording presents a new method of investigating criminal activity and raises the bar on documenting and preserving evidence, says John Tenn, an NH Criminal Defense Attorney.