Fort Myers police body cameras getting an upgrade

The Fort Myers police’s body camera system is getting an upgrade.

Now, if a police officer pulls out a gun or taser, their body camera will automatically start recording.

Fort Myers police said it’s about transparency and security.

If someone makes a misconduct allegation when it comes to an officer using his or her gun, the body cameras will not almost assuredly record what happened.

The Fort Myers Police Department said the video will protect the officer and the public.

It is the policy now that when an officer draws their weapon, they must activate their camera.

But sometimes that’s not possible.

“They have to respond quickly,” said Fort Myers police Officer Edward Cutie. “In those situations, their first thought isn’t activate their camera, it’s to defend themselves.”

“If I draw my taser and I’m giving the commands to stop or whatever it’s going to automatically do that step for me,” Cutie said.

And that’s critical when the officer is in a life or death situation.

“The officer can focus on what’s before him and making those split-second decisions without having the camera delay his thought process,” Cutie said.

And it’s not just one body camera but every officer’s body camera and dash-camera on the scene.

Cutie said it’s very simple to overlook starting the body camera.

If there is ever a question of what happened, the video can offer an answer.

“We have the body cameras, a device that attaches to your holster, that activates that body camera, is it 100% necessary? Not necessarily but it’s valuable,” Cutie said.