The Brundidge Police Department now has 10 Body Worn Cameras (BWC) for the department’s nine officers and the police chief.

Police Chief Moses Davenport said as of April 4, the Body Worn Cameras (BWC) are operational

“The cameras were made available to the Brundidge Police Department by the City of Brundidge and a contribution of $1,000 by Pike County Commissioner Charlie Harris,” Davenport said. “We are very appreciative of the BWC and our officers have been instructed on how the cameras are to be used.”

Davenport said it is the policy of the Brundidge Police Department that officers who are designated by the department to use BWC are to activate the body cameras when it’s appropriate to the performance of their duties and, when the recordings are in accordance with the policy and law.

“These BWC do not spy on people,” Davenport said. “They will protect our officers from false allegations. Our policy is that anytime an officer approaches a person in a situation that constitutes an arrest, the body camera will be turned on.”

Davenport said a traffic stop is a situation that “constitutes an arrest.”

The BWC also provide checks of the police officers.

“The body cameras will provide information about how an officer handles a situation,” Davenport said. “The cameras will show whether the officer handles a situation professionally and with respect. It also shows how a subject responds to the officer’s request – to the on-going situation. These cameras provide information that could be valuable in an investigation.”

Davenport said under Alabama law, law enforcement investigative materials are not public records.

“Law enforcement investigative materials are not public records,” he said. Law enforcement investigative reports, records, field notes, witness statements and other investigative writings or recordings are privileged communications protected from disclosure.

“We want our residents to be aware that the BWC are operational and that they will be turned on anytime the situation constitutes an arrest,” Davenport said. “They are being uses to the benefit of our officers and our community.”