Michigan State Troopers Outfitted with Body Cameras

The Michigan State Police Third District is the latest to be equipped with new body cameras. These cameras are part of a statewide program funded by a $3.8 million ongoing appropriation, as well as a $2 million grant from the Bureau of Justice Assistance. An estimated 1,700 cameras will be issued to all Detective Sergeants and Troopers in the State of Michigan.

The cameras automatically begin recording whenever a trooper activates the lights on his or her vehicle, or can be activated or deactivated manually. The device then uploads recordings directly to cloud-based storage. Troopers can also access recordings using an app on their phones immediately to review the footage.

Lieutenant Kim Vetter hopes that the use of body cameras will help build trust with local communities, saying,

“We’re happy to be able to better document interactions with the public. Hopefully this will help us to gain trust and maintain accountability…”