Barrington Police begin roll-out of body-worn cameras

Police Chief: ‘It changes behavior on both sides of the camera’

By Josh Bickford
Posted 3/16/23

Barrington Police officers responded to a County Road residence for a suspicious condition late Tuesday night, March 7.

The incident, which led to the arrest of a woman who was wanted on two …

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Barrington Police begin roll-out of body-worn cameras

Police Chief: ‘It changes behavior on both sides of the camera’

Posted

Barrington Police officers responded to a County Road residence for a suspicious condition late Tuesday night, March 7.

The incident, which led to the arrest of a woman who was wanted on two warrants, was one of the first ever involving a Barrington Police officer who was using a body-worn camera. 

Barrington Police Chief Michael Correia said his department began a slow roll-out of the body-worn cameras last week. 

“We’ve had good feedback so far,” Chief Correia said. “They (the officers) have been extremely accepting. I didn’t get any push-back.” 

A statewide grant is providing money for the body-worn camera program — every municipality in Rhode Island except for one accepted the grant.

Chief Correia said he is a proponent of body-worn cameras for police officers. He said he gained valuable experience with them during his time working for the Providence Police Department. 

“My experience is that it increases officer accountability,” Chief Correia said. “It changes behavior on both sides of the camera.”

The body-worn cameras offer valuable learning opportunities for officers and can help support police work, the chief said. 

One or two officers per shift have been wearing the cameras, Chief Correia said. The cameras are attached to a vest. The chief said the department is still waiting for some additional equipment to arrive.

During a previous interview, the chief said the body-worn cameras sync with the tasers that are used by Barrington Police officers — he said that when an officer takes out his taser and turns it on, the body-worn camera automatically turns on also. 

When advocating for the body-worn cameras months ago, Chief Correia insisted that Barrington Police dedicate a supervisor to oversee the program. He said oversight of the program and a focus on compliance is important for it to be successful. Supervisors will also be reviewing footage from the body-worn cameras.

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A lifelong Portsmouth resident, Jim graduated from Portsmouth High School in 1982 and earned a journalism degree from the University of Rhode Island in 1986. He's worked two different stints at East Bay Newspapers, for a total of 18 years with the company so far. When not running all over town bringing you the news from Portsmouth, Jim listens to lots and lots and lots of music, watches obscure silent films from the '20s and usually has three books going at once. He also loves to cook crazy New Orleans dishes for his wife of 25 years, Michelle, and their two sons, Jake and Max.