Are they the first dept to do this?

https://azdailysun.com/news/wi...rce=home-top-story-2

Williams Police Department purchases gun-mounted cameras

SCOTT BUFFON Sun Staff Reporter Nov 24, 2018 Updated 10 hrs ago

The Williams Police Department is mounting cameras to their firearms in an extra step to make sure their uses of force are monitored.

The department already has body cameras for their officers, but didn’t feel the body cameras were necessarily dependable to capture crucial information in the moment of a shooting, explained Darrell Hixson, Williams Police Department lieutenant. The technology costs $500 per system and includes a flashlight, microphone and camera that attaches to the rail beneath weapon muzzles.

Hixson felt the technology would ensure the critical moment of a drawn firearm or shooting is recorded in its entirety. While he believes in the officers on his force, Hixson acknowledged that nationally, officers have made mistakes.

“If we make a mistake, let’s stand up and own it,” Hixson said. “But if we don’t, why should we take all the pressure from all different walks of life — family, friends, media and the department?”

The Veridian Weapon Technology tool uses magnets in the holster to turn on the camera when it is drawn from its holster, and turn off the camera when it is holstered. Hixson said the footage cannot be edited while in the gun, and is uploaded to a secure server that lower-level officers cannot access.

The camera mount is lightweight and doesn’t weigh much more than their normal flashlight attachment, which is included in the Veridian’s weapon mount. It also has a microphone to record the audio of the incidents it gathers.

Hixson said the move was not in response to any shooting in Williams, but was rather in response to the quality of video they’ve been able to capture with their current body cameras. He explained that when they review videos of firearm-involved incidents, the body camera could be pointed away from the action if they’re in cover or at their raised arm.

Hixson’s explanation was part of the vision Veridian’s CEO Brian Heeden had when creating the camera mount.

“The weapon-mounted camera is the only tool designed to capture what we feel is the most important event, an officer-involved shooting or a use of force incident with a firearm. If an officer has his weapon out, that is a use of force even if he doesn’t fire it,” Hedeen said.

Veridian’s technology was developed and released to the marketplace in January and is currently being reviewed by over 400 police agencies, according to Hedeen.

Coconino County Sheriff’s Office has no plans to adopt the technology, according to Rex Gilliland, operations commander at the sheriff’s office.

“The simple answer is no. We haven’t even contemplated or thought about it,” Gilliland said. “We just spent a substantial amount of money to outfit everybody on the body worn camera. They’ve been invaluable to look at incidents.”

Police Had them in the 1930s

Revolver Camera

https://petapixel.com/2011/05/...os-at-the-same-time/

These are cool.

Hopefully they should be equipped with smaller cameras than what I'm working with.

I didn't know Williams had a police dept. It's nothing but one street with some hotels and bars for German tourists who fantasize about Rt. 66. Tax dollars at work!

I lived there for 8 years. Interesting that the chief felt the need, not much violent crime.

BTW, Rick Lee, above, doesn’t know Williams—at all.

So it's built into a WML? Interesting but still sheds no light on what happened before a weapon is drawn.

I guess along with a body cam it could be useful

Lived there for a while also, it might be for all the foreign visitors they get for the train to the Grand Canyon, no crime there to speak of.

quote:

Originally posted by Lord Vaalic:
So it's built into a WML? Interesting but still sheds no light on what happened before a weapon is drawn.

I guess along with a body cam it could be useful

Yeah, the article seems to make the point that body cams can be obscured by arms, walls, etc. I think it’s an additive measure overall.

Williams PD has a skilled grant writer, they get all kinds of equipment under these grants then it gets shelved the next fiscal year. I respect Hixson as a police officer, but as a person, not so much. Many of the WPD officers are "typical" of small town PD's that......OK, I'll stop there.


Just to clarify, I am retired LEO and support police everywhere and try not to bash them, but I see WPD regularly, some of the shit I've seen them do......... They are better than they were 20 years ago.

Say “Swiss Cheese”

LiveLeak is going to need a whole new category.

Williams PD is right off of I-40, a major corridor for drugs, stolen vehicles, fugitives and illicit money moving east and west. They do get calls to back up YCSO CCSO and AZ DPS as needed.

If the cost negates even one expensive lawsuit, the expense will pay for itself.

Quote from link below:

"The overall crime rate in Williams is 64% higher than the national average. For every 100,000 people, there are 12.74 daily crimes that occur in Williams. Williams is safer than 5% of the cities in the United States. In Williams you have a 1 in 22 chance of becoming a victim of any crime."

https://www.areavibes.com/williams-az/crime/

Williams, AZ had a 2017 population of 3158 residents. One stat says it's 5000 (seasonal?). There are 14 officers on the department.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: az4783054,

quote:

They do get calls to back up YCSO and AZ DPS as needed.

That’s odd, Williams is in Coconino County; why would they back up Yavapai?

The audio would bother me, affecting my ability to stay focused. I'd be "watching what I said" more than reacting with my training.
I wouldn't last long because my mouth.

quote:

Originally posted by TMats:

quote:

They do get calls to back up YCSO and AZ DPS as needed.

That’s odd, Williams is in Coconino County; why would they back up Yavapai?

You're absolutely right, I corrected it. While Yavapai County is one of the largest in the country, it doesn't extend over to Williams. In AZ, I-40 extends through several counties along its 360 miles from CA to NM.

Fire and LE may respond under the mutual aid pact.

Didn't Doom have a "kill cam" or was that Wolfenstein?