There is a new item of protective equipment in use at the Youngsville Borough Police Department.

Thanks to a donor who asked to remain anonymous, the department has a body camera approved for use by Pennsylvania law enforcement.

The Pro-Vision camera costs about $300. It clips on and captures audio and video.

The camera arrived at the department prior to the deadly shooting incident and aftermath in Ferguson, Mo., Police Chief Todd Mineweaser said, emphasizing, “We did not run out and buy one because of it.”

“We did it because of all the incidents, mainly in our schools, that need to be shown in court,” Mineweaser said, “and to protect ourselves and the borough.”

“Every law enforcement officer should have a body camera operating when they are on duty,” Warren County District Attorney Rob Greene said. “It provides great evidence and protects both law enforcement and citizens from false accusations.”

“It’s another deterrent,” Mineweaser said. “What I mean is sometimes people are less likely to cuss at us or want to fight with us when they know we are filming them.”

The camera does not rely on a person’s memory of an incident, nor competing accounts of an event.

“It shows the entire story in court proceedings,” he said. “People need to really see what goes on out here in the real world.”

“Everyone – law enforcement, victims and defendants – could all potentially benefit from video evidence to ensure that justice is served,” Greene said.

Appearances in court and in the middle of an incident can be very different.

“The belligerent drunk guy wanting to fight with an officer doesn’t show up to court that way,” Mineweaser said. “He is clean cut, in a suit and very polite when spoken to.”

He said the department plans to use the camera “on traffic details, responding to calls, and investigation.” Officers will not use the camera while doing paperwork, in court, or in someone’s home “without their blessing.”

“There is no better evidence than video of a crime,” Greene said. “Unlike eyewitness testimony which has its inherent flaws, video always tells the truth.”

“I think it is the best evidence that can be presented to a jury and depicts an unbiased version of the events,” he said. “The number one responsibility I have as district attorney is not to ‘chalk up wins’ but rather to seek justice. With video and/or audio evidence that job can be made much more accurately; there is no weighing the credibility of the witness or defendant or law enforcement officer; the video is what it is.”

Greene goes beyond supporting officers wearing cameras to supporting witnesses and bystanders collecting video evidence – as long as they don’t interfere. “My office and law enforcement are here to protect and serve the citizens of Warren County,” he said. “I am 100 percent supportive of citizens using their personal video cameras to record acts of crime in progress or interaction with law enforcement.”

“The only reservation I would have is that a citizen cannot interfere with an officers investigation or ‘get in the way.’ So, stay back, but record away,” he said. “If you do videotape evidence of a crime or an arrest, please contact law enforcement or my office directly – 728-3460, so we can make a copy. This would greatly assist us to make sure that we are getting it right.”

In Pennsylvania, an officer recording an interview must inform the other party or parties that they are being recorded.

Consent is not required. “We have to advise a person that they are being video/audio recorded,” Mineweaser said. That the other person might not like it “doesn’t mean we have to stop.”

The body cameras are not the Youngsville department’s first cameras. Like many departments, Youngsville has dash cameras on its cruisers. “We have the dash cams, but when you’re away from that little area, you’re on your own,” he said.

While Mineweaser said he sees the benefit of the camera, it is an additional piece of equipment carried by officers already required to carry and wear heavy gear.

“We already wear about 30 extra pounds of gear,” he said. “I guess we are considered ‘tactical athletes’ but at the end of the day our reward isn’t gold medals, it’s survival.”

He said he finds it discouraging that officers are trusted to carry firearms and serve the public good, but not to do the right thing – unless they can prove it on video.

“I question when did the federal government stop trusting in it’s law enforcement officers?” he said.

President Barack Obama has promised $75 million to help departments buy cameras.

Mineweaser said the department budgeted for another camera. There are two full-time and two part-time officers in the department.