Citizen Complaints Against Police Way Down In Denton
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DENTON (CBS11) – Denton Police say they have seen a sharp decline in citizen complaints against its officers, and the department believes body cameras have a lot to do with that.
Denton Police outfitted all patrol officers with body cameras two years ago saw all interactions between officers and the public could be recorded.
Officer Shane Kizer said two years ago the department had 110 official complaints against officers. Last year it was down to 100, and this year they've only had 30 cases reported so far.
Kizer says the drop in numbers is due to two factors.
For one he said people are less likely to make fraudulent reports once they know there is video proof of the interaction. Secondly, the cameras offer checks and balances for an officer's actions.
"We're being held to a higher standard and it is a good thing," said Kizer.
Patrol Officer David Beckwith showed CBS11 his body camera and explained how helpful it's been in clearing him of wrongdoing.
There has been two complaints that I know about where I have been complained about being rude I think," said Beckwith.
He added that in both cases his supervisors determined he did nothing wrong after analyzing his body camera footage.
Officials say the cameras have proven to be a crucial tool in maintaining accountability for both their officers and the public they serve.
"This shows that this is everything that happened between us. This captures everything that went on," said Beckwith.
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