"An important piece of technology that will help protect our Ohio State Highway Patrol troopers, and help them better serve the public."
Those are the words that Gov. Mike DeWine used to describe the body camera technology that is being rolled out for state troopers across Ohio.
The announcement was made at the Ohio State Highway Patrol Training Academy in Columbus, where the governor was joined by OSHP Superintendent Col. Richard Fambro.
For the last several decades, the highway patrol has used in-car cameras, and the governor directed the highway patrol to invest in body cameras as an additional way to aid in troopers’ work out on the roads, and commit to public transparency.
"In-car systems have limitations, and as technology has evolved, body-worn cameras has become a standard tool for law enforcement," said DeWine. "These cameras are like an impartial first-person account of every interaction with the public, every arrest, and every traffic stop."
Starting this month, more than 1,500 new body cameras and 1,200 new in-car systems will be installed across the state. This new technology will now combine footage from the body cameras and the in-car cameras into one system.
With this $15 million investment, the highway patrol hopes that this new technology will keep their troopers safe, and also keep them accountable to the policies that they uphold every day. "The protection of our constitutional and civil rights of the people that we serve is a paramount concern to the division," said Col. Fambro. "We have down written policy that during all law enforcement contact, troopers must conduct business in a professional manner and do not engage in any behavior or activity that constitutes by-space policing."
The Findlay District of the OSHP is set to get the cameras in April of next year.
