With the adoption of two new policies governing police use of body cameras and vehicle cameras, Leechburg Police can begin utilizing this technology.
The two policies were approved by the Fraternal Order of Police for its more than 373,000 members in more than 2,200 lodges, said Leechburg Mayor Doreen Smeal.
“I would like to adopt these guidelines so that we can start using these devices,” Smeal said before the vote on the guidelines.
The Council members had spent months developing the directive together with the FOP.
“I’m glad we’re finally here,” said City Councilman Chuck Pascal.
City Councilor DJ Zelczak said he wanted to “put it into effect as quickly as possible.”
The body-worn camera policy states that use of the camera must be incident-specific only. The public will be informed when they are being recorded, either before recording begins or when it is safe to do so. The recording period is seven days and can be shortened or extended depending on the situations recorded.
In the event of an officer-involved shooting, an in-custody death, or other officer-involved incident that results in serious injury or death, body camera footage or audio will be reviewed at the request of the Chief of Police.
Body cameras are not used in places where privacy is expected, such as locker rooms, dressing rooms or restrooms. Officers return their body cameras at the end of each shift and the day’s footage is uploaded to a computer.
Leechburg officers will also begin using video systems in their vehicles.
Similar to the body cameras, the vehicle recordings are presented to department managers at the end of each shift.
When recordings are activated, audio and video footage of an event is documented. Officers are required to record traffic stops, priority operations, chases, prisoner transports, and crimes in progress.
Smeal said there will be a call from Motorola to get training on how to use the equipment.
Haley Daugherty is a TribLive reporter covering local politics, features and news in Allegheny County. A Pittsburgh native, she lived in Alabama for six years. She joined the Trib in 2022 after graduating from Chatham University. She can be reached at [email protected].
