NORTH PORT, Fla. — North Port officers are the newest in the Tampa Bay area to start wearing body cameras with about ten officers testing the cameras this week.
"It may catch things that we may not have initially seen when we arrived on scene,” said Sgt. Scott Smith.
Officers said they start record on the cameras when they first get dispatched to a call. The city is paying about $225,000 per year for the devices and storage.
“It’s more about showing the community what we do, showing the good and the bad,” said Deputy Chief Chris Morales.
Smith said the cameras are a layer of protection for officers.
“It's just another tool to document to show that we’ve been doing our jobs the way we’ve said we’ve been doing our jobs,” said Smith.
Pasco County was one of the first in the Tampa Bay area to start using body cameras.
