The Fall Church police department will begin having its officers use body-worn cameras on all calls this month, the department said in a statement.
As reported by WTOP, officers will start using cameras on all calls for service on Monday, though the department didn’t say when the implementation would be complete.
The body cameras can be switched on at an officer’s discretion, or turned on automatically when a police car’s emergency lights are turned on. The body-worn cameras will capture both video and audio, and will be worn on the front of the officer’s uniform or their outermost garment, such as a jacket. Footage from a crime or other policy activity will provide officers with another tool they can use to collect evidence for the purposes of criminal cases while instilling greater public confidence in law enforcement.
“Deploying body worn cameras is an important undertaking for our city, because we want to build on the established relationship between law enforcement and our community,” Chief Mary Gavin said in the statement.
According to WJLA, the Falls Church police have used dashboard cameras for more than a decade. Officers have been trained on how and when to use the devices to begin documenting recordings of law enforcement activity and interactions, the department said.