(WBRE/WYOU)— All Pennsylvania State Police patrol troopers are now equipped with body cameras.
More than 3,000 troopers have been given body worn cameras and the mobile video recorders in more than 1,400 patrol vehicles have been upgraded as a part of a major initiative.
A local attorney 28/22 News spoke with say body cameras and dash cameras help keep people honest and he believes the move by pennsylvania state police is a big win for everyone.
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"Body cameras protect the police and they protect the public," voiced Barry Dyller, attorney.
Barry Dyller is a civil rights lawyer whose practice has a focus on police misconduct cases. He says body cameras can deter bad actors on both sides of the camera.
"They accurately show whatever happened so no one can say that the police lied no one can say that someone whose being filmed lied," explained Dyller.
Dyller says a lack of body cameras can cause disputes in court about what actually went on.
He also says he has seen many cases where footage from body and dash cameras has played a big role.
"I personally took a case, the client told me a great story, I got the dashcam, I saw the story was not true, and I withdrew the case," recalled Dyller.
Dyller notes that in order to keep things honest, body cameras should remain on.
"What would be important is that the policies are enforced so that troopers cannot on a whim turn them on or off, because that can be deceiving," added Dyller.
Overall, Dyller says body cameras are crucial in and out of the courtroom.
"It's pretty hard to lie when events are recorded on camera. Whether it's police or it's someone the police interact with, it's pretty hard to deny what happened," commented Dyller.
Those troopers who received body worn cameras have assignments spread across 89 stations within 16 troops in pennsylvania.
