Freeport police 1st department in state to mandate body cameras, DashCams

FREEPORT (WABC) -- A police department on Long Island is now the first law enforcement agency in the state to mandate the use of body cameras and DashCams.

The Freeport Police Department has made permanent a pilot program that began last June.

The reason, officials say, is the safety of both the suspects and the officers.

Back in May, a man was holding a hammer as cops approached, and they were able to get his mother's testimony on their camera after he beat her with the hammer.

"In footage you won't see, you can see the welts and bruises on her, as well as a description of the incident," acting Nassau County DA Madeline Singas said.

Research also shows that in police departments similar in size to Freeport, there is a reduction by more than 50 percent of officers' use of force when they are using cameras.

"At that point, the person's demeanor changes 180 degrees," Freeport police chief Miguel Bermudez said. "So it diffuses situations tremendously."

For officer Jason Zimmer, it's a new part of every day policing, and he wouldn't have it any other way.

"Every car stop I do, (the camera) goes on," he said. "In fact, I don't like leaving headquarters without it."