The Carlisle Police Department [CPD] could be one of the first townships in Pennsylvania to equip their officers with body cameras, thanks to a $43,000 grant they recently received from the Department of Justice (DOJ). CPD hopes to pilot their body camera program in April but faces obstacles from a Pennsylvania state regulation that prohibits audio recordings in private residences.

CPD was one of 73 agencies in 32 states to receive funding from the DOJ, which awarded more than $32.2 million in grants for body cameras in 2015, according to their website. CPD will use the money to purchase 32 cameras in total.

According to CPD Chief of Police Stephen Margeson, body cameras are useful tools to evaluate use of force incidents between police and civilians and they have been in use, nationwide, for around 4-5 years. Use of force incidents can range from physical restraining of an individual to the use of weapons during arrests. CPD officers report using force in 50 to 100 incidents annually, and say that the station receives fewer than a dozen complaints from civilians about unlawful uses each year.

“Police body cameras are a useful tool to make sure we don’t always have to rely on ‘he-said-she-said’, we’d have additional evidence,” said Margeson. “Not that a body camera would tell us 100 percent of what happened, [but] it would be an additional element of the puzzle.”

One of the reasons that townships in the region have elected not to use body cameras is the restriction that Pennsylvania State Law currently holds on the equipment. The Pennsylvania Wiretapping and Electronic Surveillance Control Act makes the use of audio recordings inside the residence of any individual illegal. Some towns, such as York, have elected to purchase cameras without audio recordings to comply with current state law.

Margeson, however, believes that a major advantage of body cameras is that they can record oral exchanges between officers and civilians.

He said that the state legislature is considering changing the existing law to allow officers to record the audio exchange that take place in private homes.

CPD will initiate a trial period with body cameras in April, which will run for one month. Although CPD has not yet purchased body cameras, Lieutenant Stephen Latshaw, who is in charge of purchasing the cameras, said he has been in contact with many vendors to find the best equipment.

“What we’re looking for is… a system that is obviously technically reliable and most convenient to use for officers but also… something that is cloud based,” said Margeson, referring to cloud-based data storage that will automatically store footage from the cameras.

Margeson believes that the cameras would be welcomed by the public. Carlisle Mayor Rick Scott has already come out in support of the equipment, and Carlisle residents have shown their support on social media.

“I welcome [body cameras] as a method of demonstrating that the police are here to serve and protect,” said Facebook user Alan Howe, commenting on an article about body cameras shared by the Carlisle Sentinel’s Facebook page. “Compliance with law enforcement is a tenant of society. The cameras will document non-compliance.”

Several neighborhood meetings have already been held in the borough about the new initiative. The next meeting will take place at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, April 6 at Borough Hall, 53 W. South St., where all Carlisle residents are welcome to share their opinions on public safety.