Sgt. Ron Didion, Highway Safety Director of the West Virginia Northern Region and sergeant in the Wheeling Police Department, has applied for and received millions of dollars in grant monies to buy equipment and start safety campaigns for northern West Virginia. Didion is responsible for the creation of the successful “Click It or Ticket” plan to improve safety belt use. He also writes grant proposals to obtain funds from various sources to improve equipment and services to the 28 law enforcement agencies in the counties in his region—#4 which encompasses Wetzel, Tyler, Hancock, Brooke, Ohio, and Marshall.
Through the West Virginia Governor’s Safety Program $266,000 in grant monies has been awarded to purchase camera equipment in region #4. The award for each camera unit is $4,750. In our area this grant is allotted to five local law enforcement entities: New Martinsville Police Department, two cameras; and one camera each for Hundred Police, Paden City Police Department, Tyler Sheriff’s Department, and the Wetzel County Sheriff’s Department. Present at the presentation were Wetzel Sheriff James B. Hoskins, Wetzel Sheriff’s Department Corporal Roger Spragg, New Martinsville Police Chief Tim Cecil, New Martinsville Sergeant Dave Byers, and Hundred Patrolman Clay Lunceford.
The new digital cameras are mounted on the rear view mirror area, do not require the bulky storage area of the former analog VHS type cameras, and they also have the capability of recording data from the field of vision from the front of the squad cars and cruisers. These cameras may be programmed to start within 15 minutes, they may be set to automatically record when the bar lights come on, or the camera may be controlled from a remote control device on the officer’s person. For example, an officer may be in pursuit of a potential driving under the influence offender. The camera will record the event from the moment the officer suspects a violation through the pursuit, stop, examination of the driver, writing of a citation, administration of a sobriety test, etc., and then when he returns to his vehicle. The camera’s digital recording may be used as legal evidence in a court proceeding. Didion says, “Hopefully the cameras will facilitate more DUI arrests.”
According to Lonnie Westphal, writer for “Police Chief Magazine,” the recorded information “. . .documents the violator’s infractions leading to the chase as well as during the chase and ending of the chase. In addition, the review of the tapes can often help investigators locate weapons or contraband that may have been tossed from the suspect’s vehicle.”
As important as the cameras may be in facilitating arrests, they can be equally useful in ensuring the safety of the officers and of the people who may be stopped by the officer. In a situation in which a violator may be combative, if the officer informs the violator he or she is being recorded on a camera device, the altercation may be diffused. Westphal states complaints against officers have been reduced, based on the data thus far compiled by law enforcement officials, “In at least half of the instances, once the complainant is made aware that the stop or contact was recorded, the complaint is withdrawn.”
The recordings may also be used for officer training and are compatible with most computer systems.
The Wetzel officers must complete the necessary paperwork to transfer the grant funds and then each officer will receive training on how to use the digital in-car camera. It is anticipated the cameras will be in the law enforcement vehicles and in use within one month. As part of the grant process, law enforcement officials must make progress reports at three-month intervals. Didion says, “We made good use of the money we received, so hopefully we can get more.” As a result of these acquisitions, almost 60 percent of county and city law enforcement vehicles will be equipped with some type of in-car camera. This compares to about 34 percent of vehicles statewide, according to Gary Winter, Program Manager of the WV Governor’s Safety Program. However, Winter stated as a result of the grant program a total of 680 cameras will be added across West Virginia.