West Metro Officers To Have Weapon-Mounted Cameras

INDEPENDENCE, Minn. (WCCO) -- One metro law enforcement agency is taking a different approach to using cameras.

West Hennepin Public Safety officers will soon have cameras mounted on their weapons.

The technology was unveiled Thursday in Independence.

West Hennepin Public Safety officers are using Viridian's Weapon-Mounted Cameras.

Officials with the department say the cameras record automatically, provide an unobstructed view of critical use-of-force events, which would include officer-involved shootings.

They are mounted on the ends of weapons.

"Those situations where a firearm is in use, that's the time that we want to collect and have this information recorded," said Sgt. Rick Denneson.

Unlike body cameras, officers say these weapon-mounted cameras don't waste data, as they are only rolling when a weapon is in use.