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Equipment Upgrade For Hazelwood Police Include Taser Cams
BY JEANETTE EBERLIN RIZZELLO
The Hazelwood City Council has unanimously and quickly approved the purchase of some major equipment for the police department. City Manager Ed Carlstrom had presented a staff recommendation for the purchase of 56 new taser cams and nine new patrol video recorders.
After the meeting Police Chief Carl Wolf said he was pleased with the quality of the items purchased because, “We were able to make sure the products were within the guidelines of our police department.
“We made sure the technology was there – we have always been a leader in establishing these guidelines.”
The approved legislation included 56 taser cams at the cost of $22,400 or $399.99 each. This would provide a taser cam for each of the department’s taser. The funding is from the city’s capital improvement budget.
The department purchased one taser cam for the purpose of evaluation. The taser cam was utilized at St. Louis Mills Mall for the past six months and has proven to be effective, Wolf said.
In his memo to the city manager and city council Wolf defined a taser cam this way: “It is a video camera attached to the handle of the taser and activated by the officer prior to the deployment of the taser. It provides video evidence which shows if the taser is deployed in accordance to department policy and is for the protection of the officer and citizen.”
The council also approved the purchase of nine patrol vehicle digital video recorders. The city’s capital improvement budget contained $26,970 for this purchase and the city also received a federal grant for three additional digital video recorders for the amount of $14,796.
Having this new equipment “will aid the department’s ability to protect the citizens and officers on duty,” Chief Wolf said.
He described the use and value of the vehicle digital video recorders this way: the recorder is activated every time the vehicle’s lights and siren go off. They have the capability from the mounted location at the windshield to video tape both front and a portion of the rear of the vehicle. In the case that it’s not an emergency, the officer can manually control the video camera.
“Therefore we can record the conversation and since we can video the back of the vehicle, anything a subject might claim , either that the officer was abusive or threatening; sometimes individuals claim that the officers injured them, this protects the officer and helps the city’s case in the event of a lawsuit . ”
