Body-worn cameras have proven to be a big help for the Belleville Police Service during investigations and incident response.
In May police, firefighters, and paramedics responded to the Norris Whitney Bridge where a distressed female was hanging on to a light pole, threatening suicide.
She would not talk to police, but an officer’s body cam was operating and the incident was being live streamed back to police headquarters where a mental health professional, a civilian member of Project IMPACT, was able to identify the female.
When the negotiator on the bridge learned the female’s name she began communicating and eventually the situation came to a successful conclusion.
The body cam also provided an exact incident location which helped firefighters and paramedics get to the scene as quickly as possible.
