Michigan State University Police Plan To Use Body Cameras
EAST LANSING (WWJ/AP) - Michigan State University police are planning to use body cameras.
University spokesman Jason Cody told MLive.com the East Lansing school placed an order a few months ago, but hasn't yet received them.
"There is a back order right now," he said. "Basically, we'll have 85 and each officer will have access to one, and there is also going to be a server purchased for storage."
The department hasn't yet determined policies for using the cameras, which record an officer's-eye view, but Cody said they'll cross that bridge once the units come in.
East Lansing police announced in November that they were exploring the idea of getting body cameras. Police in nearby Lansing are also expected to order the cameras.
A number of police departments across the state are adding body cameras or considering the equipment. Police at Eastern Michigan University and Northern Michigan University are among other campus departments that use them.
President Barack Obama has promoted the use of body cameras by police after last year's shooting death of 18-year-old Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri.
A representative of the Arizona-based company that produces the Taser Axon Flex Body-Worn Camera and Taser Body System Camera said independent studies have shown a 60 percent reduction in the use of force and an 88 percent reduction in false claims against police departments that use the product.
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