Elgin Police Testing Helmet And Body Cameras
(CBS) -- Even with witnesses, there's really only one way police can prove what happened at the scene of a crime or a chase: a camera.
Now, one Chicago suburb is experimenting with "body cams."
CBS 2's Mike Parker reports.
Three weeks after the controversial police shooting in Ferguson, Mo., local police began wearing body cameras. If they had been in place when teen Michael Brown was shot and killed, questions about what happened might have long since been answered.
The Elgin Police Department has been field-testing and researching both helmet and body cameras for a year now.
Cameras mounted in squad cars have been in use there for years. The department wants to take the next step within a year.
"At the end of the day, what people want to know after any incident is 'what happened?' And the camera gives us an unbiased view of what happened," Chief John Swoboda says.
He says rank-and-file officers should not be wary of the new technology.
"If officers are acting properly, which I believe they are, most all the time, this will make sure we have a view of it that will save the officers many headaches and accusations," Swoboda says.
Chicago Police Supt. Garry McCarthy supports the use of body cameras on his officers. A testing program is being considered.
The Fraternal Order of Police says it wants a say in how the cameras might be used.