South Carolina Lawyers Weekly
GREENVILLE (AP) Police in one South Carolina city are phasing out in-car dashboard cameras in favor of body cameras.
The Greenville News reported June 25 that the Greenville Police Department’s change could impact agency transparency, as unlike dashboard cameras, body cameras aren’t subject to the state’s Freedom of Information Act. Police Chief Ken Miller says the change isn’t meant to avoid the act. Capt. J.B. Browning says having both types of cameras was too costly for the department.
The department began phasing out dashboard cameras in 2016 as they reached the end of their shelf life and body cameras were implemented. The body cameras connect to the cars through Bluetooth and automatically turned on when the police vehicle’s emergency lights turn on or a stun gun is deployed.
