Columbia, South Carolina, October 15th, 2019 – The Columbia College Police Department currently has 5 body cameras deployed and the Chief of Police Wayne Jamison has shared their experience with WOLFCOM body cameras and evidence management system.
According to the Chief, “it was required by a state law that all law enforcement agencies in South Carolina must have body cameras. So the state gave us a grant, we had no trouble at all.” Wayne then added, “we just needed to find a good company and that was you guys.”
The decision to go with WOLFCOM was because of a referral. “We did some research and other agencies had highly recommended your company and everything looked good from the research and the reviews that we got about WOLFCOM, so we decided to go with WOLFCOM,” said Chief Jamison.
Unlike most law enforcement agents, the Columbia College P.D. officers understood the importance of deploying a body camera program since the very beginning. “They were all for it [about implementing a body camera program]. It could save us in a complaint situation. As long as you’re doing what you’re supposed to, there will be no problem. It’s just a witness to confirm the good job you should always be doing,” said the Chief. “Especially in a department like us. Most bigger agencies have 2 or 3 officers when they respond to a call, they all have back up. With our department, it’s usually one officer working by himself on a shift for 12 hours. It’s good to have another set of eyes or a witness to something. The other way around, it’s your word against theirs if a complaint comes up, but with the body camera, it really helps,” he added.
Despite knowing about the Vision Body Camera‘s multifunctionality, the Chief claims “we’ve only used them for recording. I know it has the ability to also take pictures, we hadn’t done that. But definitely for overall recording of interactions with someone.” The Columbia College P.D. also uses the WOLFCOM Evidence Management System (WEMS) and Wayne likes it. “It’s easy to use, no problems with it. It’s very user-friendly,” said the Chief.
Although these body cameras haven’t been used to vindicate officers, Chief Jamison says they help to deescalate situations. “I think when we do go on calls and we turn them on and they see the red light blinking, the person that we are interacting with, in all honesty, it kinda changes their attitudes towards the police. Because if they know you’re recording, he’s less likely to do something that could hurt him later down the road. In other words, it helps them kinda straighten up and cooperate,” said the Chief.
Chief Jamison recommends WOLFCOM cameras and software. “It’s a very good product, I highly recommend it. It’s user-friendly, easy to navigate, the software. I’m not a technical guy, I’m old school, I’m the last one that’s technical on the planet Earth, but this is very easy. If you can pick up and operate an iPhone, then you’ll be able to navigate the software and use this camera. It’s a great product, you’re all doing an excellent job,” said Chief Jamison.