Ocean Pines Police Department introduce body cams for officers

OCEAN PINES, Md. - The Ocean Pines Police Department will now have body cams for their officers. 

Tim Robinson, the Police Chief in Ocean Pines said these cams are not for optional use. 

"In 2023 wearing a body camera is imperative because a body camera is an incredible tool that is an impartial witness of what just happened between an officer and a civilian," Robinson said.

The Ocean Pines Police Department have rolled out body cams for its officers on the heels of the mandate in Maryland that by 2025 all law-enforcement are required to wear body cams.

John Pianka, an officer in Ocean Pines said these new cams are going to take some getting used to. 

"They bring kind of mixed motions, it's a big change," Pianka said. "It's a big thing to learn how to use them to learn how play them, how to shut them off and everything, so it's a lot of information but overall very excited to get these cameras."

But the body cams come as a relief not just for officers but for people like Christopher Chase who want to feel there is accountability on both sides.

"It makes me feel a little bit more comfortable knowing that they are being watched and then if anything were to happen to me, they know that it's on camera," Chase said.

Although some locals like Debra Ekman feel Ocean Pines is safe and the need for body cams isn't high. Ekman said body cams could be a much needed tool in this era of technology.

"I think it's a really good idea, otherwise, you're dependent on people having their cell phones out at the right time," Ekman said.

Now that body cams are rolled out in the Ocean Pines Police Department, Pianka said he hopes they will only make things safer for everyone. 

"It gives us the documentation we really need to help prove what we're saying is true and to help prove what other people are saying to be true," Pianka said. "It's a two sided coin and it's good for both."

The Ocean Pines Police Department said that anytime they approach any call, whether it be domestic violence or traffic stop, they have to let the people they are dealing with their body cam is recording. This procedure is for the safety of the officers and the public.