At a time when police officers in parts of the U.S. have been under attack, the Union County Sheriff's office says since July 1st, its deputies in the patrol division have been equipped with body worn cameras.
Sheriff Scott Harvel says the deputies will be required to wear the recording devices at all times while on duty and activate the body worn cameras during any interaction with the public.
"As time has progressed with the things that happened in the communities and things, I think it's just a good transparency tool for the community to know and have an unbiased account of what we actually do out on the streets."
Harvel says body worn cameras will also help collect potential evidence and evaluate the performance of sheriff's deputies during public interactions.
On the other hand, Harvel says there are potential pitfalls with the cameras.
"One of the things that is concerning is, what if the officer sees something the camera doesn't see, what if the camera sees something the officer doesn't see? It could present a problem in that respect. That's the only real concern at this point that I have about it."
While some police departments have been under attack across the country, Harvel says he believes Union County residents fully support his department and understand the difficulties law enforcement face on a daily basis.
The cameras were purchased with a matching grant received from the Illinois Counties Risk Management Trust, which is the county insurance carrier, and funds available through the Sheriff's Anti-Crime Fund.
