Osseo Police Upgrade Squad Cameras, Add Body Cameras

Osseo Police Chief Shane Mikkelson says the camera system on Osseo squad cars needs to be replaced. The city planned to replace the system in 2021, but Chief Mikkelson says the system needs to be replaced sooner rather than later. The cameras on squad cars are only five years old, but they are shutting down on traffic stops.

“I mean totally shut down where we didn’t have any camera system that was working,” said Mikkelson.

In researching new systems, Mikkelson requested a system that integrates body camera video with squad camera video so the two can be synced together during the review process. The video can then be shared through a link in an email and the recipient has a limited number of days to download the video into their computer.

“At some point soon, we will have body cameras out with all officers and with that comes public requests for video, so we wanted ease for retrieving data,” said Mikkelson.

The current system requires an archival system that involves looking up clips on DVDs. The new one would have video clips stored in a cloud system.

The city council approved the purchase of the new integrated camera system at a cost just over $43,000. It includes five squad cars and eight body cameras that come with a five-year warranty. Additionally, the city will have to pay for ongoing data storage costs of $5,200 annually.  

Chief Mikkelson says it should take 6 to  8 weeks to receive the equipment.

Osseo