Galveston city officials this month voted in favor of police body cameras to help provide an accurate picture of altercations between officers and the public.
The island plays host to numerous events throughout the year which attract hundreds of thousands of fun-seeking tourists.
“Many times when officers come in contact with individuals there is some sort of altering substance on board, whether it be alcohol, narcotics or pills, that they have to contend with,” says Galveston Police Lt. Joshua Shirard. “It further alters someone's memory, where they wake up the next day, they're in jail and don't really understand what happened.”
“A lot of times that will generate a complaint, when really the officers' actions well within policy parameters and state law, but memories being what they are, emotionally charged in which you add an altering substance, can definitely skew from reality,” he says.
Lt. Shirard says roughly 100 officers will be equipped with body cameras with help from a $90,000 state grant. The city will put up $22,500, or 25 percent of the grant award.
“A majority of it is definitely coming from a governor's office grant, so its really helping us be as progressive as possible, otherwise we would have had to sacrifice somewhere in order to pay for all this equipment,” he says.
The cameras are expected to arrive sometime this summer.