Frederick County Sheriff’s Deputies Start Using Body Worn Cameras

They’ll be phased in over a 60-day period.Photos from the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office.Frederick, Md (KM) Frederick County Sheriffs’ Deputies will be using body worn cameras starting today. The Sheriff’s Office says the cameras will be phased-in over a two-month period so that all   sworn personnel will be wearing and using these cameras over the next several weeks.”We will use Axon body cameras for our deputies and will be phasing them to the more than 180 sworn officers  within the next 60 days,”: says Sergeant Richard Balsley,  the Sheriff’s Office Body Camera coordinator, in a statement. “Our goal is to have everyone wearing and using these by April 1st.”.Sworn personnel include patrol teams, the Criminal Investigation Section, the County Court House deputies, and the Traffic and Canine Units, Community Deputies such as School Resource Officers, the Pro-Active Criminal Enforcement Unit and the Protective Orders list.”The roll out of the FCSO body-worn camera programs, starting today, will get body cameras on the street well ahead of the mandated program start date of July 1st, 2023,” says Sheriff Chuck Jenkins, in a statement. “We have done our due diligence through the year-long pilot program to make sure we made the right decision in the selection of Axon, which has allowed us to put together a very solid policy regarding the use of body cameras.”A Maryland law passed in 2021 requires all police officers in the state to have body worn cameras by 2025.The Governor’s Office on Crime Control and Prevention, Youth and Victim Services funded this project ,providing $405,000, the Sheriff’s Office says.By Kevin McManus