IUPD officials are equipped with wearable cameras in 3 campuses

As part of the Indiana University Police Department’s commitment to majors, progressive policies, and student safety, police officers on all three campuses are equipped with body-worn cameras.

Benjamin Hunter, IU's vice president and head of public security affairs for public safety and institutional security, said that such cameras have increased the transparency of the police department in the police's actions to attract public attention and promote social justice movements.

IUPD is taking measures to strengthen and establish contact with students, faculty, faculty, and the community, including body cameras and new vehicle-mounted cameras. Some of the initiatives are the result of reports and recommendations made by the committee after reviewing IUPD’s training and demotion policies.

IUPD’s initiatives include the Participation and Inclusion Officer Program and the Police Chief Community Advisory Committee. The Board of Directors is an open communication channel for resources between the IUPD campus and faculty, faculty, students and the community. It provides an opportunity to hear about public safety issues and take action, and it provides input for programs aimed at improving campus safety.

The Participatory and Inclusive Official Program provides promotion and assistance to all members of the campus community by creating a participatory and inclusive community. Participation and inclusion officials are active partners in improving the campus environment.

Last week, in Bloomington, nearly 100 officers between the IUPUI and IU Northwest IUPD departments received training in wearable cameras and have begun to use the technology.

Hunter said that today's communities want the police to use body and car cameras.

He said: "The ultimate goal is to always be transparent. This is another step towards achieving this goal."

Hunter added that the camera worn on the body helps gather evidence and helps provide clear information when a police officer is accused of misconduct.

The campus police chief said they are grateful for the university’s investment. The two heads of state said that this technology is considered the industry's best standard.

Doug Johnson, head of IUPD-IUPUI, said: “As a police officer, I like to install cameras in cars or on people to increase transparency, because then it’s hard to question what happened during the encounter. "

Johnson added that transparency helps build trust with the community, and when police officers have cameras on them or in their cars, it makes them aware that they might say or do anything that is deemed inappropriate.

Monte Davis, the head of IUPD Northwest, said that it is important to understand what happened in the incident (regardless of whether the officer was at fault) so that any police misconduct can be resolved.

He added that there is zero tolerance for abuse of power or corruption.

Davis said: "As a department, we want to ensure that we maintain legitimacy."

Jill Lees, head of IUPD-Bloomington, said that the officers in her department are happy to have body cameras and new on-board cameras because the technology has many features that benefit them a lot.

Lees said that she likes that the camera provides real-time location of people and can provide real-time video when an incident occurs.

Lees said: "I just think this is an indispensable and vital technology that all departments should have."

Indiana University has signed a five-year contract with Utility to equip nearly 100 police officers with body cameras, install new camera systems for 23 police vehicles, and equip 4 motorcycles with camera technology.

Hunter introduced other new technologies and details of IUPD to the Indiana University Board of Trustees at the meeting on August 13.

Mobile phones using the Android platform can be used as portable cameras. It can be safely loaded into a suitcase, which is inserted into a zippered pocket and can be buckled onto an officer's uniform. The hole in the pocket allows the camera to record clear images.

Hunter said that Utility’s multi-platform technology best suits the needs of IUPD. The three parks pooled financial resources from budget to purchase equipment.

Hunter said that the Bloomington, IUPUI and Northwest departments of IUPD were initially selected as recipients because they received the most service calls.

Hunter added: "The ultimate goal is to make this technology available to all departments."