First day for Greenfield PD with new body cameras

Arnulfo Trevino has been a Greenfield police officer for six years. Now, when he checks his list of equipment before he hits the street, he has to make sure his body camera is there too.

“It was a long time coming, I’m glad we got them,” Greenfield Police Officer Arnulfo Trevino said.

On the first day he tested his new camera, he pulled over a car with tinted windows that were too dark by law.

Officers are required to turn the cameras on for any sort of enforcement work, from traffic stops to criminal investigations.

Officer Trevino is all for having the real-time account of his interactions on the street.

“It backs us up in our reports, of incidents that happen,” Trevino said. “It makes it that much more accurate.”

Greenfield Police Chief Adele Frese says there will be a learning curve. One question the officers had is whether they will always have to turn the cameras on.

“There’s no reason to activate a camera just for a citizen contact that has nothing to do with enforcement or a follow up on an investigation,” Frese said.

But she’s confident the cameras will prove useful — bringing more awareness not only for officers, but also the public.

“The overarching theme in 2014 is transparency,” Frese said.

And officer Trevino agrees.

“I think it will make the officers a better officer,” Trevino said. “And being mindful and conscious about the duties they’re doing, and that they’re doing the right thing.”