Police officers in Marlborough Township are now utilizing body-worn cameras after debuting the devices late last year.

            The cameras will allow law enforcement officials to document police-public contacts, arrests and critical incidents. An email message from Chief Darren Morgan

Officer Carlos Cartegena and Sgt. Ted Baird with their body-worn cameras.

states that the cameras, which will be used to document what the officers are doing right and wrong, can also be utilized for training and officer accountability.

            The cameras will be located on the officers' uniform shirts. Activation by each officer will be guided by department policy.

            The officers are not required to inform citizens they interact with that a camera is present. That decision is up to the discretion of each officer, Morgan wrote.

            An Innovative Policing Initiatives Grant, worth $23,760, allowed the department to purchase eight Motorola Watchguard body cameras and all corresponding hardware, software and storage for five years at no cost to the township.

            The equipment is intended to gather evidence, allow officers and their supervisors to review work, and enhance protections for them and citizens by providing transparency, accountability and information sharing between the police and the community, stated Morgan

            In August 2021, the police chief asked the township's board of supervisors for permission to apply for the grant to fund the body camera program. During a public meeting, Morgan described the program as a "valuable resource to increase accountability, build trust, and enhance protection of both officers and the citizens. I think it's a great protection for the township for liability in the future."

            The department received notice in December 2021 that it was approved for the grant from the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency, Office of Justice Programs. The equipment was received and installed between September and November of last year. It officially went into service on Dec. 1, 2022, after all the officers were trained in their use.

            Marlborough police have discontinued the use of vehicle cameras. Morgan wrote that the equipment became antiquated and was expensive to replace.