Manteca Police Release Body Cam Video Of Altercation
MANTECA (CBS13) – It's a new perspective in crime fighting that Manteca police are first to use in San Joaquin County.
The Manteca Police Department has released video showing an altercation between an officer and a suspect captured with a new body camera that attaches to an officer's button hole.
In the body cam video, a Manteca police officer answers a call of a suspicious person. You can see him trying to wake up the suspect more than 15 times.
The man argues as the officer tells him to get up. That's when the officer tries to arrest the suspect and a scuffle ensues.
The video doesn't show it, but investigators say the suspect grabs the officer's genitals – causing the officer to fall on the ground.
The suspect is now claiming excessive force, but Manteca Police Chief Nick Obligacion released the video to show what he says is an unbiased record from the scene.
"I can see this being used throughout the U.S., where more and more agencies will go this way because it's another piece to the puzzle that allows accountability and transparency," Obligacion said in a phone interview.
As of last week, all Manteca officers on patrol – including traffic and school resource officers – are wearing this new technology.
Manteca police bought 50 cameras for about $67,000 - a price that includes the all-in-one cameras and cloud storage.
