VALDOSTA GA. (WTXL) - The Valdosta Police Department is now equipping its officers with upgraded body cameras, a move the department says, has already made an impact on the community.
Valdosta Police started looking into purchasing body cameras in May of 2014. The department signed a contract and received 100 body cameras for free. But according to the department it just wasn't enough.
The Valdosta Police Department was able to fit HD body cameras into its budget and now have plenty of the video devices.
Valdosta Police Chief Brian Childress says, he's noticed a positive change in how the community views police officers, "We started using body cameras in June of last year, well before Ferguson happened, what we found since using these units is that our use of force has gone down, our citizen reports have gone down and i think its fair to say that the public trust has gone up quite a bit with this."
Tuesday, Valdosta Police announced the Lake Park Police Department would be receiving body cameras for free. Both departments have used body cameras in the past.
Body cameras on police officers are not required in Georgia.
