September 19th, 2016 by WCBC Radio

Frostburg State University Police are now using body-worn cameras, making it the first and only police agency in Allegany County to fully deploy the technology.

The department will use the 14 cameras as an enhancement tool for evidence when responding to calls for service, initiating a citation or arrest and during knock-and-talk visits in the community. Cameras will not be on all the time for certain situations, such as in a sexual assault investigation, to protect a victim’s privacy.

“These body-worn cameras provide transparency and provide an independent perspective of what’s going on,” FSU Chief of Police Cynthia Smith said.

Officers will inform people they encounter that they are being audibly and visually recorded and will activate and deactivate recording manually.

Cpl. Todd Pressman noticed that some people change their behavior for the better when told they are being recorded. During one patrol, a driver stopped for speeding was animated and upset, but the interaction improved after Pressman informed the driver that he was on camera.