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Police chief: body cameras, new tasers and upgraded records systems deployed ahead of accreditation
Summary
The town—s police chief told the council the department installed eight body cameras and four new tasers with grant funding, has integrated cloud evidence management and upgraded its CAD/RMS to meet state accreditation and NIBRS reporting requirements.
The New Shoreham police department has acquired eight body cameras and four new tasers through grant funding and is finalizing policies and training as it pursues state accreditation, the department told the Town Council on Dec. 18. The devices are integrated with an Axon-based cloud system (evidence.com) and roll into the department—s CAD/RMS records system for incident linkage and retention management.
Chief (name not provided) said the cameras operate in a buffering mode that maintains a 30-second loop until an officer activates recording; newer taser models automatically trigger cameras within roughly 40 to 50 feet. "When you take that out of its holster, it automatically activates the body camera," the chief said, noting that activation procedures and retention times are included in the policy now under review with the union and the town manager.
Why it matters: updating body-worn video and records systems affects evidence handling, public transparency and compliance with the state—s accreditation standards. The chief said the department also implemented PowerDMS for policy distribution and an ARMS CAD/RMS upgrade that facilitates National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) crime-code attachment and state certification.
The chief described technical work to attach historical crime codes to NIBRS classifications and the state—s requirement that six months of backdata be submitted for certification. "We got 46 out of 253 that took a code," the chief said of initial automated matches, and staff manually attached the remainder.
Council members asked whether the cameras record continuously; the chief clarified they buffer and require officer activation. Officers receive automated notices for video review and retention triggers through the evidence-management platform, the chief said, and the department has set retention periods to comply with state rules.
The chief also outlined training and professional-development steps: Sergeant Dimadio is attending an FBI LITA supervisory leadership course, and the department has coordinated multiagency school-safety tabletop exercises and a January joint training with Fire Rescue and the medical center focusing on mass-incident triage. "We—re an island, we—re out in the middle of nowhere," the chief said, noting the importance of preparedness.
Next steps: the council was told policy language remains under negotiation with the union and the town manager before a full rollout and that staff will continue required accreditation steps and reporting to the state.
