NYPD Removes 3,000 Body Cams After One Explodes

New York Police Department (NYPD) Sergeant Joseph Freer demonstrates how to use and operate a body camera during a media press conference on December 3, 2014 in New York City. Andrew Burton/Getty Images

Nearly 3,000 body-worn cameras have been taken off the streets in New York after one exploded inside a Staten Island NYPD precinct on Oct. 21.

NYC Police Commissioner James O’Neill says police officers should not use the body-worn camera model Vievu LE5 until they are fixed, according to a police statement released Oct. 21.

“Last night, an officer retrieved a body cam for deployment on a midnight tour and noticed there was smoke exiting from the bottom portal and immediately removed it,” the police statement said.

“After it was safely removed, the device exploded. There were no injuries sustained. The incident revealed a potential for the battery inside the camera to ignite.

“The cause and scope of the defect are currently being investigated.”

This will not affect the earlier model of body cameras which was Vievu LE4. The NYPD is equipped with a total of 15,500 body cameras, according to NY1.

There are some 2,990 of the Vievu LE5 body cams that had been in use in 16 precincts at the time of the explosion, NY1 reported. The officers that were equipped with these will not use a body camera for the time being.

The company Axon, which owns Vievu, issued a message yesterday in an email sighted by Fox News.

“We are working closely with the NYPD to investigate this issue. The officer was not injured, however officer safety is of the utmost importance to Axon.

“We will do whatever is necessary to quickly and safely resolve this situation.”

From NTD.tv

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