This summer, police officers in Bozeman will begin wearing body cameras while on duty.
At a Coffee with a Cop event in May where residents could ask officers questions, Community Resource Officer Marek Ziegler said the body cameras will attach to a pocket on officers’ vests.
“You’ll see it, and there’ll be a light, so people will know it’s on. Also they can ask an officer if they’re being recorded,” he said.
Bozeman Police Chief Jim Veltkamp says as the department drafts its recording policy it wants to strike a good balance between collecting evidence and respecting people’s privacy.
“So if they’re for example at Music on Main just walking around downtown they are not going to have them on, and it would be the same if they’re just driving around the city or looking for traffic violations they would not have them on,” he said.
Veltkamp says the department plans to release a draft recording policy in late June.
The public can learn more about the Bozeman Police Department’s plans for body worn cameras at https://engage.bozeman.net/bodyworncameras.
