West Fargo Police will launch its body camera program

Fargo, North Dakota – On Tuesday, West Fargo plans to launch its body-worn camera initiative.

If all goes as planned, the West Fargo Police Department said they will be turning on their body-worn camera program on Tuesday. When entering events and traffic stops, the cameras would be manually turned on; when a service weapon is drawn, they would turn on automatically.

“If there is any complaints against the officers, it’s going to show what the officers were doing, it’s going to show what the public is doing. It’s going to be used in evidentiary purposes as well, “said Police Chief Pete Nielson It’s just the norm in police work to be using a body-worn camera.”

The department tested the WatchGuard body cams before spending about $137,000. Sworn-in cops and community service officers will receive a total of 85 cameras.