Demonstrating a commitment to modernize policing practices, the Lady Lake Police Department has implemented body cameras, a technology aimed at protecting both law enforcement officers and the community.
“When I arrived, I noticed we were lacking something in the field of contemporary police work,” said Police Chief Steve Hunt. After consultations with peers, Chief Hunt discovered that many agencies in the area already had body cameras. He shared these concerns with the Town Commission, which wholeheartedly supported efforts to purchase body cameras during the 2023/24 budget process.
The initiative is budgeted over five years and covers not only the new Axon brand body cameras, but also upgrading outdated TASERs, and introducing a dash cam system to all police vehicles this spring.
Bundling the technology and maintenance will save the Town significant money over time. Chief Hunt emphasized the importance of these advanced tools in improving accountability, evidence management, and officer behavior modification, with the hopes of leading to increased trust within the community. The new technology has already been well-received by the department.
“Video is able to show the event as it transpired through the eyes of the police officer,” Chief Hunt explained. “It is important to capture interactions as they actually occurred for the sake of investigations, training and transparency.”
Additionally, the evidence management software that is part of the body camera package plays a crucial role in investigations. Recently, the software proved to be a valuable tool in a recent armed robbery where surveillance video from a store was directly uploaded into system and later shared with the public.
Looking ahead, Chief Hunt expressed enthusiasm about installing dash cameras to complete the implementation of the full program.
“The approval of the purchase of this equipment demonstrates the Commission and the Lady Lake Police Department’s commitment to uphold modern policing standards and ensure the safety and well-being of our officers and the community,” said Chief Hunt.