Muskogee Police To Get High Tech Body-Worn Cameras

One Green Country police department is going high-tech with a new camera device that will be strapped to an officer's body. The Muskogee Police Department is joining other law enforcement agencies in the state already using the cameras.

The Muskogee Police Department is adding another set of eyes for its officers. More than 50 body-worn cameras will soon be hitting the streets of Muskogee .

"The camera is not going to lie," said Corporal Michael Mahan, Muskogee Police Department.

The department plans to purchase these cameras made by TASER. When the system gets installed, officers will download the video into a centralized server to be stored as evidence.

"It helps bring us into a more modern department and that's the big thing," said Corporal Michael Lippmann, Muskogee Police Department.

Lippmann is testing the cameras for the department. He and other officers believe the new system will help protect the officers and the public if someone files a complaint against the department.

"Something like this can pay for itself the first time it's needed in a lawsuit or anything else like that," said Corporal Michael Mahan, MPD. "You've got a third witness and they're impartial."

The $278,000 to pay for them is coming from a City of Muskogee Foundation grant.

"It seemed like a no brainer," said D.J. Thompson, City of Muskogee Foundation.

Thompson says the foundation awarded $2.5 million to several city offices and non-profits this summer.

Thompson says the foundation believes these new cameras will benefit everyone.

"It's exciting, of course like I said, it's a wonderful thing to be able to do for the officers and the department and for the city and of course for the citizens," she said.

"Very humbling, very gratifying to see that they realize how important this is for us and for them to give us the funding to be able to purchase this is a great thing for Muskogee," said Corporal Lippman.

The Muskogee Police Department hopes to have the body-worn cameras on all of its officers by the start of next year.