Bowling Green Police Chief Doug Hawkins
Credit LISA AUTRY
The Bowling Green Police Department is preparing to outfit its officers with body cameras.
In a presentation to the Bowling Green Noon Rotary Club Wednesday, Chief Doug Hawkins said agencies that already use body cameras have seen a reduction in complaints against officers.
"If you know everything we're doing is being recorded, you tend to behave a little better and so does the police officer. Not that we have a lot of complaints, but we think this will mitigate complaints," Hawkins told the audience. "When a citizen has a justifiable complaint, we're going to capture that, as well."
Hawkins said the department is investing in body cameras now because prices have dropped and the technology has improved.
Bowling Green Police plan to purchase 95 body cameras at a cost of nearly $160,000.
The cameras will be deployed by the end of the year.