DELAND — All police officers in uniform in DeLand now patrol with body-worn cameras, officials said this week.

Those with the cameras include motorcycle officers and uniformed street supervisors. The officers were outfitted the past several weeks. There are 59 Axon brand body cameras now in use by the department, said city spokesman Chris Graham.

Police Chief Jason Umberger said the new technology is important both to gather evidence and for training.

"The footage also provides my office of Professional Responsibility critical information to conduct impartial and transparent employee conduct investigations,” the chief said.

The city is spending $48,000 this year which includes the cameras, software and storage of the video.

The department’s policy requires that every citizen encounter be recorded with video and audio, though extraordinary circumstances may arise that require an officer to act quickly to protect a citizen or themselves.

Before Umberger became police chief, the police department chose Vievu Inc. to provide its body worn camera technology. However, many of the cameras ended up needing maintenance and archiving all of the data recorded became a challenge for staff, Graham said.

“Finally, Body worn camera technology is a tool that provides our agency with a gauge to monitor our commitment to practice the tenants of Procedural Justice which includes treating people with dignity and respect, giving individuals a voice during encounters, being neutral and transparent in our decision making and conveying trustworthy motives,” Umberger said.

A review was conducted by Umberger and staff before the police department selected the Axon Body 2 camera for its officers and the company’s software will be used to manage the footage obtained by officers, said Graham.

 “I am confident these body worn cameras will meet the standard of excellence that we strive for here at the police department,” Umberger added.

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