Last week, the Erie NAACP urged all local police departments to invest in body cameras for patrol officers.  However, one department does not have to heed that call.  It has been using the cameras for the past five years.


The eight-member Lawrence Park Township Police Department has six miniature cameras, and they are used by all officers, on all shifts.  The cameras clip on to the officers' vest, and when the officer responds to an incident, he simply slides the lens cover and the camera begins recording audio and video.


Chief John Morell is a technology buff, and it was his idea to purchase the cameras five years ago.  His department is way ahead of the times.

The cameras not only provide audio and video evidence in the case of a controversial shooting or arrest, they also act as a deterrent.  Usually when an officer tells an unruly citizen that they are being recorded, that citizen calms down immediately.


Also, a lot of cases handled by the department do not go to court, because the video evidence is cut and dry.  That saves the department time and money.


"We have had police departments come to us and want to check them out and see that they're about and how they are utilized.  We've sat down with other chiefs and explained everything.  But, they are right for our department.  I don't know if they are going to be right for other departments because there's a cost associated with it," Morell said.


The cameras in use at Lawrence Park cost $900 a piece, and last about 18 months.  Then, a new set of cameras must be purchased.  The chief says it's worth it.   He would rather have his officers record an entire encounter with a citizen, than have a person come by with a cell phone and record just a small part of that encounter.