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Ferguson PD: Officer had no time to activate body camera during foot chase, shootout

Lt. Col. Al Eickhoff: “He was focused on calling in on his radio."

By JC Sevcik

FERGUSON, Mo., Sept. 30 (UPI) -- A police officer involved in a shooting incident over the weekend claims he didn't have time to engage his body camera.

There is no video of the as-of-yet unnamed officer being shot in the arm or returning fire against his attacker because, according to Lt. Col. Al Eickhoff, "There's no time to put the camera on when you're in a foot pursuit."

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While conducting a routine foot patrol Saturday around 9 p.m., the officer observed a man fleeing from the Ferguson Community Center and gave chase, losing the suspect during the chase only to be ambushed at the crest of a hill.

Face to face with a loaded gun -- "inches from the officer's chest," according to Eickhoff -- the officer reacted quickly, deflecting the firearm, taking a bullet to the left arm instead of the chest. The bullet missed the bone and passed through, the officer gave chase again, returning fire.

Weeks ago, in response to the fatal shooting of unarmed black teenager Michael Brown by Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson and the civil unrest that followed, body cameras were donated to the Ferguson Police Department.

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Body cameras, touted by proponents as a means of reducing police misconduct, are constantly monitoring but in order to save battery life and storage space only begin capturing video after a button is pressed to activate recording.

But the officer involved in Saturday's shooting did not press the record button.

"He was focused on calling in on his radio," Eickhoff said, admitting the incident exposed a flaw in the application of body camera technology.

Department policy states officers are to activate their body cameras "to record contacts with the general public."

"This was a building check," said Eickhoff. "These camera batteries are only good for three to four hours, so it's not like they are running constantly."

The suspect escaped into the woods and the officer was treated for his injury.

Whether the incident exposes a flaw in the application of body camera technology or just represents a learning curve remains to be seen, though one can imagine a future feature that activates the camera's record function when vigorous movement is detected.

As to why the officer remembered to radio but forgot to activate his camera in the heat of the moment, Eickhoff said: "It takes time to do this. Things like using your walkie-talkie are instinctual," while the use of body cameras "is all brand new."

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