City of Beloit equips police officers with body cameras

CITY OF BELOIT, Wis. (WIFR) -- The City of Beloit is now in the final stages of equipping its police force with body cameras after several months of testing various equipment and holding Q&A sessions with the community regarding the use of the technology.

Police Chief David Zibolski says several recent capital improvement projects regarding technology have been completed within the department over the last year and now body cameras are the next phase of the project. The department has been soliciting feedback from officers regarding different styles of body camera technology and testing the durability of the equipment since this past summer. Most recently, a policy has been drafted regarding the use of the cameras and when they will be activated.

The department will use capital improvement funds in order to pay for the equipment, which will equip over 55 officers with the cameras. Zibolski says the cameras will not only ensure officer safety but will also serve as a training tool when hiring new officers in addition to enhancing transparency throughout the department. Zibolski hopes to have the cameras in place by mid-January of next year and says adopting this technology now will lead to less-expensive upgrades in the future as the technology evolves.