Northern Michigan state troopers receive body cameras

GAYLORD — Michigan State Police troopers in Northern Michigan have been outfitted with body cameras.

Because of a $3.8 million appropriation endorsed by the state legislature and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer along with grant funding, Michigan State Police (MSP) posts in the area are receiving body cameras. Troopers and sergeants in the MSP's eighth district (Upper Peninsula) received their cameras in June.

"A trooper must wear it and record all interactions with the public," said Lt. Derrick Carroll, an MSP spokesman at the Gaylord post. If troopers are not wearing the cameras they could face a disciplinary proceeding, he added.

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The cameras can be activated in several ways, including manually when officers are away from their vehicles. They can also be synched with troopers’ in-car dashboard cameras, added Carroll.

"We've been wanting the cameras for a long time. We are trying to have transparency with the public. We know that everyone is recording police interactions now and this will allow us to show the officer's perspective during critical incidents," Carroll said.

"Once the public sees what the officer sees it will give the public a better understanding of what is going on," he added.

Carroll said the cameras cost about $1,300 each and that doesn't include system maintenance or the redacting of certain information.

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Carroll said he hasn't encountered a trooper yet who expressed skepticism or said they didn't want to wear a camera.

"Video doesn't lie and if there is an incident or action that needs to be reviewed, we can now show exactly how it unfolded. This can help to exonerate a trooper," said Carroll.

Cameras can provide investigators and the public with a more objective record of what happened after a high-profile incident. The use of body-worn cameras by police across the country has exploded in recent years but the research on whether they have been effective overall in reducing violent encounters is mixed, according to a report in the Detroit Free Press.

While some studies have shown that they are a cost-effective means of reducing complaints against police, others have found little or no effect on the use of force by law enforcement.

This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Northern Michigan state troopers receive body cameras