Nye County considering gun-mounted cameras

Body cameras are often used by police to record encounters they have with the public. But what about putting a camera on the actual gun? They’re called weapon-mounted cameras and they’re on the market. Weapon-mounted cameras which hook onto guns are meant to increase accountability. That’s why the Nye County Sheriff’s Office is hoping to add the tool to its tool belt. Police often face high-stakes situations that need to be recorded. But body cameras don’t always show the full picture. “The way that you hold your firearm when you’re shooting it, you actually obscure the body-worn camera,” said Nye County Sheriff Sharon Wehrly. She says when it comes to officer-involved shootings she wants her department and the public to see the truth. “It all breaks down to transparency. It all breaks down to what really happened. And that’s all we’re ever looking for, we’re looking for facts.” Viridian Weapon Technologies says their weapon-mounted cameras are specifically designed to record use-of-force incidents. “When an officer removes his gun from the holster, it starts recording automatically. There are indicator lights that are showing that it’s recording. And it also has a light,” said Brian Hedeen, president and CEO, Viridian Weapon Technologies. “It’s never going to have an obstructive view when an officer’s in a shooting position.” In this test footage from Nye County, the camera captures everything in front of it. “We want to actually take it out into the field and use it in real-life situations,” Sheriff Wehrly said. The Nye County Sheriff’s Office says it’s testing phase will last about three months, before it decides if the weapon-mounted cameras will be used. Nye County joins more than 400 law enforcement agencies across the country including Las Vegas Metro Police that are currently testing the weapon-mounted cameras.

Published at: 01-23-2019

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