VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - Virginia Beach Police Officers will now have in-car cameras to their marked fleet in addition to every sworn officer now having a body camera.
The Virginia Beach Police Department released a video explaining the new rollout.
In the video, Captain William Zelms says 250 patrol vehicles will now have this technology so that overall the public can have faith and confidence in the department.
The in-car cameras interact with the body camera technology that they have already employed.
Officers now have a wider angle lens, which is needed when officers conduct a traffic stop. There will actually be two cameras installed. The first is a front view camera that faces the front of the patrol vehicle the second is a rear seat camera which gives them a wide-angle vantage point of the entire back seat and anything or anyone they place inside of it.
Similar to the body cameras, which are activated either manually by the officer or via signals on their holster or taser, the in-car cameras operate the same way. The officer can manually activate the camera or activate by signal devices, which are when the officer turns on the emergency lights, when they open the gun lock, or open a rear passenger door.
The department's in-car camera policy is governed the same as their updated body camera policy.
As part of our commitment to @CityofVaBeach community, we are now adding in-car cameras to our marked fleet to augment bodycams all officers now have access to. These cameras will help provide transparency to the public and assist officers with successful prosecution of cases. https://t.co/B4lSBbiKDW
— Chief Paul Neudigate (@PaulNeudigate) July 27, 2021
