The Owatonna Police Department (OPD) positively reports on the use of body-worn cameras (BWC) about a year after acquiring the technology, according to a story in the weekly e-newsletter Just the Facts. The BWC  "work on a simple cell-phone platform, enabling a city-issued cellphone to operate as a body camera, digital camera and voice recorder."

The police department plans to upgrade the system used in their cars soon to replace the "current, but aging in-car video system. We've been testing the Visual Labs in-car system and have been so pleased that we'll soon be installing their in-car system in our entire marked fleet."

Just the Facts goes on, "Both systems, the BWC and in-car video, operating off the same software platform, will be linked, enabling the officers to associate recorded case data from a singular event to a singular evidence management repository and not a separate one as they currently do."

They expect the new system to be in their vehicles within the next few months.

SCAM ALERT

The OPD brings to your attention a scam on YouTube. "In this case, a victim was following a favorite YouTuber and was contacted by a male who purported to be the manager of the YouTube channel the victim was following and that she was the winner of a $5,000 prize."

The victim was told an $80 payment was necessary for identification and paid the fee through a cash payment app. The victim never received the promised prize. "Although this victim is only out 80 bucks the message is clear; if something seems too good to be true, it probably is. We recommend before sending unsolicited payments, contact your local police department to discuss whether you're being scammed," writes Just the Facts.

REMEMBERING A FORMER OFFICER

Just the Facts acknowledges the anniversary of the passing of retired police officer and Community Service Officer David M. Schroeder on January 28, 2019 to a brain cancer. "David was a talented and kind man. His stories made us laugh and smile. He was a husband, father, and grandfather. He was a musician, outdoorsman, and teacher. We think about him often!"

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