Le Mars Police Officers Equipped With Body Cameras

(Le Mars) — Le Mars Police officers are now carrying a new piece of equipment while on patrol duty. Body cameras are now being used in Le Mars.
Police Chief Kevin Vande Vegte says the police department has acquired three cameras, and will add another three after July to spread the cost over a couple of fiscal years. Vande Vegte says the cameras were added because of the cameras already equipped in patrol vehicles are aging.

Vande Vegte says the new body cameras operate in conjunction and are in sync with the vehicle cameras.

The total cost for the new body cameras was listed at around $60,000. The cameras will be operated by the patrol officer with the opportunity to manually record events. Vande Vegte says since the police department, at present time, have only three cameras, the officers currently share the new equipment.

Assistant Police Chief Justin Daale displays the new body camera that will be worn by officers on duty.

Vande Vegte believes the cameras are important for accountability.

The body cameras are similar in size to a pager. They are able to be clipped on to the officer’s uniform. The new body cameras record in high definition with color, along with a wide panoramic view. They are equipped with a small microphone to also record audio comments. The Le Mars Police Chief says his officers have been instructed to respect others privacy when using the new body cameras.

Le Mars police officers began using the new body cameras on Monday of this week.  The Plymouth County Sheriff’s Office is currently using one body camera on a trial basis. Sheriff Mike Van Otterloo says he hopes to be able to purchase cameras for each of his deputies sometime within the next year.