MILWAUKEE _ The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Police Department began testing body-worn cameras with a small group of officers on Wednesday, Sept. 27, as a means of increasing safety and public confidence.
Many campus and community police departments already use body-worn cameras, including the Milwaukee and Shorewood police departments and campus police at UW-Madison, UW-La Crosse and UW-Whitewater. Cameras help officers perform their duties by recording their interactions with people during official police business and documenting evidence during investigations. Studies also have shown they improve officer and citizen behavior, reducing use-of-force and citizen complaints.
“We value our community’s trust and see this program as a positive step to build upon the good relationship the UWM Police Department already has with its community,” UWM Police Chief Joe LeMire said. “This new resource will help our officers make UWM a safe and secure environment in which to learn, live and work.”
UWM police have been using squad car cameras for more than 10 years.
They will begin using body-worn cameras with six police officers and expand the program to all 37 by the end of October. A demonstration table will be set up in Spaights Plaza on Oct. 2, the first day of Campus Safety Week, to show students, employees and visitors how the cameras work. The campus community can provide feedback at listening sessions at 10 a.m. Oct. 2 and 2:30 p.m. Oct. 4. Both sessions will take place in room 181 of the UWM Student Union, 2200 E. Kenwood Blvd.
The department’s cameras are supplied by Axon, which has more than 200,000 cameras in use at 6,000 agencies worldwide.
UWM Police Chief Joe LeMire will be available at 2 p.m. at the police department, 3410 N Maryland Ave., to speak with reporters about this initiative.
About UWM
Recognized as one of the nation’s 115 top research universities, UW-Milwaukee provides a world-class education to 26,000 students from 89 countries on a budget of $667 million. Its 14 schools and colleges include Wisconsin’s only schools of architecture, freshwater sciences and public health, and it is a leading educator of nurses and teachers. UW-Milwaukee partners with leading companies to conduct joint research, offer student internships and serve as an economic engine for southeastern Wisconsin. The Princeton Review named UW-Milwaukee a 2018 “Best Midwestern” university based on overall academic excellence and student reviews, and the Sierra Club has recognized it as Wisconsin’s leading sustainable university.