The Herald-News - News Story

As cops in Rhea County keep their eyes open for impaired drivers this holiday weekend, many will have a tool to help them.

For road officers with the Rhea County Sheriff's Department, as soon as they hit their blue lights, on-board cameras will roll, capturing everything that happens on film.

Sheriff's deputies have recently joined the ranks of other Rhea County law enforcement agencies in adding the dash cams to their patrol vehicles.

"This really comes at a good time," Detective Mike Owenby said. "This is one of our busiest weekends."

Owenby said the department acquired the cameras earlier this year.

Now 18 or 20 sheriff's department patrol cars on the streets are equipped with cameras. The cameras are wired to automatically turn on when an officer turns on his blue lights and cannot be turned off until the lights go off. Officers can also turn the cameras on manually.

Officers also have microphones attached to their uniforms so that they can record audio when responding to calls or for traffic stops.

The officers themselves cannot access the video tapes from the cameras. Only supervisors have keys to unlock the camera consoles and remove video tapes, Owenby said.

Three cameras were funded by state grants, according to Owenby. The other 15 were bought with money from the drug fund - money collected on narcotics busts. They are all refurbished units, bought from another department in Missouri, he said.

Owenby said the cameras mainly help in the prosecution of DUIs by capturing field sobriety tests on tape, but they also help assure citizens that officers won't be able to abuse their authority without someone seeing. He added that they additionally help clear officers in the event that false charges are made against them.

"It's good for both sides," Owenby said. "Nobody can hide."

Sheriff's deputy Gerald "Taco" Brewer has been riding with a camera for a few months. He said the idea of patrolling with a camera took some getting used to, but he's glad to have it.

"The cameras definitely make you feel safer," he said. "You know you got somebody watching your back. When you don't have a camera, you never think you'd miss it. But after you work with one, you never want to work without one."

Other agencies in Rhea County have also been equipping their officers with dash cameras.

Graysville Police Chief Thomas Mahoney said all four of Graysville's patrol vehicles are outfitted with cameras, and the department's K-9 vehicle will have one when it hits the streets.

He too said that cameras help tremendously with DUIs.

"That's where you're going to have your court testimonies," he said. "I think they're an asset to our department, and any administration will find they are beneficial."

Dayton Police Chief Chris Sneed said his department has been using dash cameras the last two years, and nine of Dayton's 11 patrol vehicles have the cameras. He said cameras offer airtight evidence.

"They're wonderful," he said. "The camera doesn't lie."

Michael Reneau can be contacted at michael.reneau@rheaheraldnews.com.