Greenfield police gets body cameras for officers

Transparency and trust – those are the main reasons behind one Central Coast police department getting new body cameras. Greenfield police officers will now be the first in Monterey County to wear cameras on their uniforms while they patrol.

Greenfield police Chief Adele Frese, the city’s top cop for almost a year now, and she said her former department in Texas had body-wear cameras and she believes they work.

The little black cameras are smaller than a smartphone and weigh less than a pound. Next month all 10 Greenfield police officers will be wearing one.

“You’re going to be able to hear not only what the officer is saying but what the driver is saying, and see what the officer is observing inside the car at the time,” said Commander Fred Perez.

At the end of every shift the officer will turn in the camera, and the footage will be downloaded and stored in the system. The video is time stamped and can’t be edited. The department is leasing the cameras for $25 per camera, per month, while it waits for grant money from the state. The total cost to purchase the equipment is $9,000.

Officers will be required to turn on the camera every time they contact an individual.

“There’s always a chance someone is going to make an allegation of what the officer said, or what they said,” said Perez.

But Perez said these cameras will help change that and not only hold the officer accountable but also those contacted by police.

“If they know you’re recording, or you have a camera on, it’s like an alarm and it has a way of diffusing the situation if it’s going south on you,” said Perez.

We checked with Salinas and Hollister Police Department chiefs’ who also want the cameras. Both are still doing more research to find the right equipment and funding.

Officers will start training with the cameras next Tuesday, and that training will determine how long it will take to get officers on the road with them.