Medford Police deploy body cameras

Medford, Ore. — There’s a new perspective… when it comes to fighting crime in Medford.

Corporal Josh Schilder is one of the 85 officers who recently received body cameras. He said officers will advise people when they are being audio and video recorded.

The camera will remain on standby only activated when the officer makes contact with a person. “What I do is just double tap right here and you hear the beeping sound which means the camera has been activated,” said Cpl. Schilder. “Safe to say the camera will be on a majority of the time.”

Not all cameras are the same. Some are worn on the front of a uniform, others on an officer’s shoulder or on their glasses.

When the officer is done, setting the camera on the charger automatically sends the footage to a server which can only be accessed by certain administrators.

The Medford Police Department has been working to get the cameras for months. Cpl. Schilder says it was worth the wait, “We have nothing to hide out here I think it’s great that people see what we’re doing and see what we’re dealing with out here.”

Medford Police said they’re able to share the video that’s uploaded to the server easily with the district attorney’s office and other agencies.

Officers said footage from high profile cases such, as murders, will be kept forever. But according to state law, daily encounters that are captured must be deleted after 180 days.

MPD isn’t the only agency taking advantage of the technology, the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office and Ashland Police received their body cameras just a couple weeks ago as well.

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