Body cameras are being issued to the officers of the Ripon Police Department.

 Lt. Steve Merchant said the department took delivery of the video cameras on Wednesday that promise a new level of security for the Ripon officers and the public as well, he noted.

“The cameras act as an unblinking eyewitness to police interactions with the community providing an undisputable account of interactions that occur wherever the call may take the officer,” Merchant said

Police Chief Ed Ormonde added, “I am excited to be able to provide this valuable and powerful tool to my staffers, supervisors and staff.”  Chief Ormonde plans to use a body-worn camera himself while on duty.

The cameras begin to roll once triggered by an officer, but also include a “record after the fact” function which allows retrieval of video should something unfold before an officer has a chance to reach over and activate the camera.  Early estimates are that a camera should function in the field for at least nine hours without the need for charging.

Merchant further noted that the department was able to purchase 23 cameras during the initial deployment and hopes to be able to purchase several more in the future to fully equip the entire department.  The RPD hopes to have cameras deployed in the field by the end of June.