When citizens and law enforcement encounter situations when there are no witnesses around, the judicial system is left with a "he said-she said" situation. New technology can help with that: body cameras. Use of the cameras has been growing nationally and the Eugene Police Department is leading the trend locally.
The Register-Guard reports 18 officers are currently using body cameras. A California study shows when officers were equipped with cameras, there was a 60 percent drop in complaints about the officer's use of force.
The technology isn't cheap. EPD paid just under $22,000 so far for the cameras it uses, which includes file storage and maintenance costs. The Lane County Sheriff and Springfield Police Departments aren't currently experimenting body cameras.