Salem, Ore. — The Salem Police Department announces today the completion of the necessary steps to fully launch its body-worn camera program.
“After much effort and preparation, we are excited to now provide this important tool for our officers and our community,” said Salem Police Chief Trevor Womack. He added, “We’re doing this because it helps us with our trust with our community. It provides more transparency and mutual accountability. It also has a safety component to enhance the quality of investigation. It’s about bringing justice to victims and holding offenders accountable.”
The addition of this technology is another key milestone as we move the agency forward in our continual pursuit of safety, legitimacy, and excellence. From enhancing criminal investigations to building and maintaining trusting relationships with our community through increased transparency and mutual accountability—cameras are an invaluable tool for law enforcement today,” shared Womack.
The implementation of a program to outfit the recording devices for all Salem Police officers began in June of 2021 with budget authority from the Salem City Council. Since then, the department began its effort to establish a comprehensive program including development of a policy, field trials and evaluation for vendor selection, acquisition, and training.
The cameras will be worn by sworn staff working patrol duties, as well as detectives working in the field. Full roll out of the devices is set for Monday, February 13.
To help the public understand the aspects of the program, a webpage with commonly asked questions was established.
“We are a learning organization,” added Womack who recently completed his second year as the department’s top executive. “Body-worn cameras will provide yet another way to critique and learn, to inform our training and professional development efforts.”
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