The devices are becoming standard equipment for a growing number of cops
NEW BRUNSWICK -- Rutgers campus police here as well as in Camden, Piscataway and Newark will soon be getting another piece of standard-issue equipment: body cameras.
Kenneth Cop, chief of Rutgers police, told NBC 4 News that the devices will "have a positive impact on our relations with the community."
A little more than a dozen cameras are being tried out this week as part of a testing phase, with all campus police expected to be equipped by the time the fall semester starts.
Last year, the state Attorney General's Office announced a $4 million plan to equip state and local police with body-mounted cameras. The AG also established guidelines for when the cameras must be used, including frisks, searches, brief detentions, assisting motorists, making arrests, transporting people under arrest and responding to calls.
Other campus police departments have been equipping their officers with body cameras since last year, including Rowan and Kean universities.
More law enforcement agencies across the state and the country have begun using the cameras as a way to foster trust among the public following high-profile police-involved shootings and deaths.
"Across the country, we've seen what happens when distrust and distance between police and their communities result in situations that can quickly spiral out of control," Gov. Chris Christie said last year in announcing the AG's body camera plan.
Paul Milo may be reached at pmilo@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter@PaulMilo2. Find NJ.com on Facebook.