CRESTVIEW — It's less than three-and-a-half inches long, is lighter than a candy bar and, in some jurisdictions, has cut police officer use-of-force complaints more than 60 percent.
And local law enforcement officers have them.
They're body cameras — digital imaging devices that, nationwide the past two years, have become ubiquitous on police officers' chests or over their ears.
Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office deputies have worn the cameras, which they activate upon any citizen contact, for about a year, and Crestview Police Department officers have had them for two weeks.
The devices benefit law enforcement and the public, said Capt. Larry Ward, supervisor of the sheriff's office's Crestview station.
"It's a tool that protects our deputies from unwarranted or false claims, and it protects the public from deputies who aren't doing what they should be doing," Ward said.
"It's basically the independent witness," Crestview Police Cmdr. Andrew Schneider said.
"They've added an extra layer of security, not only for the public, but for the officers as well," Crestview Police Officer Glen Farmer said.
'THE UNBIASED WITNESS'
Since deputies have been wearing cameras, use-of-force complaints have dipped, Ward said. The primary reason? On-scene video doesn't always support allegations.
That's why Ward calls body cameras "the unbiased witness."
"You can get on the phone with a complainant and say, 'This video doesn't show what you said is going on. Would you like to come in and review it?'" he said. "They usually say, 'No' and that's that."
Ward said his deputies find themselves minding their manners more, now that they know their interactions with the public are being videoed.
"We've had them on for almost a year, and we haven't disciplined anybody for vulgarity," Ward said. "The degrading of a person, we won't tolerate that.
"The cameras have kept us more in check to make sure we're not violating anybody's rights."
EFFECTIVE USE
Mayor David Cadle said the technology proved its value to him when a resident approached him after a drug enforcement check.
"I had someone in who was very upset, saying how rude an officer was, so we reviewed the body camera footage," Cadle said. "We saw what the officer did was very calm, quiet and respectful, and did everything by the book.
"When we showed (the complainant) that video, and asked, 'What did he do that you felt was rude?' they just stopped talking."
Conversely, supervisors can use video to correct officer behaviors, initiate discipline and train other officers in correct procedures, Schneider said.
"It allows us the opportunity to observe the officers' interaction with the public," he said.
"Incidents are caught (on video) and internal discipline initiated from internal reviews," Ward said, noting five of 29 citizen complaints about deputies received this year were supported by body cam video.
THE PROSECUTION RESTS
Though in use just two weeks, Crestview police officers' body camera videos have already contributed toward convictions, Schneider said.
"A lot of the stuff that's coming from body cameras is being submitted as evidence," he said.
Ward said the videos can expedite some court cases.
"It saves the court a lot of time," he said. "There's probably a lot more pleas and bargains."
While Bill Bishop, chief assistant to the state attorney for Okaloosa County, couldn't confirm Ward's assertion, he said video's accuracy has been effective.
"(Having) body cams has been useful in the prosecution of cases," Bishop said. "It seems once those body cam footages are shown to the defense, it eliminates a lot of defenses they raise.
"You can't argue with video. It is what it is. It has helped with the prosecution of cases."
PUBLIC RIGHTS
Though body cam video is a public record, like other data in a police case, Ward said residents needn't fear misuse of the footage any more than they would other material gathered during a police investigation.
"If we have a legal right to be there, we're going to turn them (the cameras) on," Ward said. "But very little of what we video is going to turn up on the … news."
Videos are cataloged as evidence and kept for 30 days unless they are needed for investigation of a case, he said.
"Our job's not to try to embarrass anybody and catch them at their lowest moment, but if you're driving intoxicated and our deputies are recording it…" he said, his voice trailing off.
Crestview Police Chief Tony Taylor said he welcomes body cam video as part of his efforts to provide more departmental transparency. In fact, in the wake of national scrutiny of police abuses, he encouraged residents to make videos of their own.
"With everything that has been going on, I suggested to my supervisors that if people are videotaping a scene, we should encourage that," Taylor said. "We have nothing to hide."
Both Crestview Police Department officers and Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office deputies now wear body cameras. Each agency has a different system brand, but both have comparable features, including low-level light capability, close-up still photography, high-definition audio, and downloads personalized with an officer's individual serial number and a date/time stamp.
Crestview Police Department:
Brand: Wolfcom Vision
Type: Single-piece unit
Cost per unit: $250, partially funded by state Edward Byrne equipment purchase grant
Mount: Chest or shoulder
Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office:
Brand: Taser Axon Flex
Type: Recorder/battery with separate camera
Cost per unit: $600
Mount: Battery/recorder in pocket, camera on glasses arm or lapel
Sources: Crestview Police Department, Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office, Taser and Wolfcom Enterprises
DECREASED COMPLAINTS
Since deputies began wearing body cameras a year ago, the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office has reported a decrease in use-of-force complaints:
Use-of-force complaints*
●2014: 171
●2015: 125
●2015 decrease: 36.8 percent
●2015 use-of-force reviews resulting in discipline: 0
Deputy performance complaints:
●2015: 29
●2015 complaints dismissed upon review of body camera evidence: 19 (65 percent)
●2015 deputy complaints sustained upon review of body camera evidence: 5
*Comparable data is not yet available for the Crestview Police Department, which has used body cameras for just two weeks.
Source: Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office
WHEN THEY'RE USED
Law enforcement officers activate their body cameras for these activities during the performance of their duties:
• Traffic stops
• Vehicle and foot pursuits
• Vehicle searches
• Use-of-force situations
• Advising an individual of their Miranda warnings
• All instances of subject resistance and citizen interference
• Traffic crashes involving agency vehicles
• Citizen contacts
• Document statements by subjects, victims and witnesses
• During interrogations and interviews
• During investigations of criminal acts
• Administrative investigations and interviews by supervisors.
Source: Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office general order 23.06
OFFICER BODY CAMERAS
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Body cameras prove valuable tools for North Okaloosa officers, public and courts (VIDEO)