The West Fargo Police Department will host an informational open house from 5:30 – 7 p.m. Monday, May 22, 2023, in the Lieutenant Adam Gustafson Training Room at West Fargo City Hall (800 4th Ave. E.). The purpose of the open house is to provide an opportunity for residents to learn more about the program, interact with officers, and view the body worn cameras.
“This informational open house is an opportunity for our residents to learn more about the new body worn camera program while interacting with our officers,” said Chief Denis Otterness. “We are grateful for our community’s support of the department and look forward to continuing to strengthen those relationships through our body worn camera program.”
The West Fargo Police Department has begun testing WatchGuard body worn cameras on an initial group of officers to enhance policing best practices and reinforce community trust and transparency.
This testing phase of body worn cameras is the first step towards department wide implementation and allows for an effective program roll out to impacted personnel. Motorola Solution’s WatchGuard system has been selected for the testing phase as the program is cost-effective due to the compatibility with the department’s current in-car and interview room camera systems. Motorola Solution’s WatchGuard is a leading provider in the body camera industry and is used widely throughout the law enforcement community.
A final selection of a vendor and services will be reviewed following the testing phase. Body worn cameras will be evaluated on functionality, wear ability and durability.
The West Fargo Police Department expects to deploy approximately 80 body worn cameras by the end of 2023.